Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki recently provided an update on whether there will be a sequel following the huge success of the first one.
Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho
In an interview with Japanese website Hjweb, Yamazaki was asked what his plans are for the next Godzilla movie.
As translated by Google, he responded, “No, there is no such story at all.”
He went on to indicate that he might not be the next director for Godzilla, “But I might be a little sad if someone is chosen for the next work. When someone says, ‘This is the person who will direct the next Godzilla,’ I think, ‘Ah!’ And when someone says, `Please do it,’ I think, ‘Ah!’ (laughs).”
However, he did share one big piece of information about what he would do if he was chosen to direct the next one, “If I were to direct the next movie, I would like to do a sequel to this one, but since there have been two standalone Godzilla movies in a row, I think the next movie will probably have to include an enemy monster.”
Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho
Godzilla Minus One was a huge hit at the box office. The film reportedly had a budget less than $15 million and has nearly grossed $100 million worldwide.
The-Numbers reports the film has grossed $52.1 million in North American theaters and another $47.4 million internationally for a global gross of $99.6 million.
Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho
The film is the largest grossing live-action Japanese film to hit North American theaters of all time. It easily crushed the previous record holder of The Adventures of Milo & Otis, which grossed $14.1 million when it was released in 1989 and then re-released in 1990.
In fact, it took less than a week to seize the record. After an opening weekend of $11.4 million in the beginning of December, it topped $14.3 million on its first Tuesday.
The film currently sits as the second highest grossing Japanese film in North America of all time behind Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, which grossed $49.8 million in North America. It grossed another $457.2 million internationally for a global gross of $507.1 million.
Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho
What was even more astounding about Godzilla Minus One’s box office success is that it had such long legs. The-Numbers reports that the movie’s opening weekend gross of $11.4 million was only 21.9% of its total gross, and that number will only decrease as the film continues to play in theaters albeit in a different format.
Toho released the film without color and it will play in North American theaters until February 1st.
Only one week left to see #GodzillaMinusOne in theatres before it leaves February 1. Don’t miss seeing the Oscars-nominated visual effects on the big screen! 🎟: https://t.co/bQvjM5A7OJ pic.twitter.com/zotLO8rSEE
— GODZILLA.OFFICIAL (@Godzilla_Toho) January 26, 2024
The film didn’t just find success at the box office, but it has also racked up award victories and nominations.
As Toho noted in their above tweet, the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
The film has also reportedly won 12 awards at the Japanese Academy Awards. They include:
- Picture of the Year
- Director of the Year (Takashi Yamazaki)
- Screenplay of the Year (Takashi Yamazaki)
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Ryunosuke Kamiki)
- Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Minami Hamabe)
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Sakura Ando)
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography (Kozo Shibazaki)
- Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction (Nariyuki Ueda)
- Outstanding Achievement in Music (Naoki Sato)
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction (Anri Kamijo)
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording (Hisashi Takeuchi)
- Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing (Ryuji Miyajima)
What do you make of Yamazaki’s comments about a potential sequel?
