Godzilla Minus One is a hit internationally, creating a surprise at the box office! In France, it was released in theaters on December 7 and 8? Why wasn’t it used for longer?
Rated 4.3 out of 5 by the press and 4.4 out of 5 by AlloCiné spectators, Godzilla Minus One became a small phenomenon in France during its only two days of operation on December 7 and 8!
This Japanese feature film, which conquered the Land of the Rising Sun, has also taken the American box office by storm with already 25 million dollars collected! A real surprise success, Takashi Yamazaki’s monster film is the highest-grossing live-action Japanese work in North America.
This is a new record since, last week, Godzilla Minus One achieved the biggest start of 2023 at the US box office for a foreign film. In comparison, the last Japanese film in the monstrous franchise, Godzilla Resurgence, collected $450,000 in the United States upon its release. This shows the extent of the Minus One phenomenon.
Given the enthusiasm generated by this new adaptation of the Godzilla myth for cinema, why did Minus One only benefit from a special release in France?
If Godzilla Minus One was only released for 2 days in France and certain other countries, it is for a good reason, explained by the specialist distributor Piece of Magic Entertainment.
Why a theatrical release over only 2 days?
Cinema rights have been purchased for 38 territories. The distributor deliberately chose to make this release a real event by making it fleeting but intense. Godzilla Minus One was therefore screened in France in Gaumont-Pathé theaters on December 7 and 8.
“Many rights holders want their film to be released in theaters – which we guarantee – because it adds prestige. In some countries, we will release Godzilla Minus One in the traditional way, with daily screenings for a week, but in other countries, we will organize an event outing, targeting a more specific audience”explained Caspar Nadaud, CEO and founder of Piece of Magic, at the microphone of Variety.
“What we want in any case is a high attendance rate, a great fan experience and, of course, a good box office return for all parties involved”he added.
Furthermore, during Tokyo Comic Con, filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki said he made the film on a budget of less than $15 million, which is all the more impressive considering the quality of the visual effects of the film. artwork.
Godzilla Minus One takes us to 1947 Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun is going through a dark and tormented period after the Second World War. It is then that Godzilla appears, an immense creature whose appearance is halfway between a dragon and a tyrannosaurus. In this total chaos, Koichi Shikishima, a deserter who has given up on becoming a suicide bomber, sees this as an opportunity to atone for his conduct during the war.
Note that this is the 37th feature film centered on the famous monster, counting the American adaptations, and the 33rd Godzilla film produced by Toho. The Kaiju therefore returns to its country of origin after the recent Hollywood adaptations: Godzilla in 2014, Godzilla II King of the Monsters in 2019 and Godzilla VS Kong in 2021.
The Titan will return on April 10, 2024 in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. The trailer was revealed recently.