Godzilla Is The Fall's Unexpected Box Office Hero As Minus One Continues To Crush It
The fall season has been a bit of a hit/miss situation at the box office after a surprisingly robust summer, driven largely by the success of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." But the past couple of weeks have seen an unexpected savior rise from the ashes and bring out moviegoers en masse. That savior is the King of the Monsters and the movie in question is "Godzilla Minus One." The Japanese film based on the beloved Kaiju, once again, had a very good weekend and, in the process, helped make a bit of history.
"Godzilla Minus One" took in another $8.3 million in its second weekend in North America, per The Numbers. That put it at number three on the charts behind "The Boy and the Heron" ($12.9 million) and "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" ($9.4 million). Toho and director Takashi Yamazaki's film stayed at number three on the charts for the second straight weekend, thanks in no small part to ridiculously good word of mouth. Advertising for the film has been minimal in the States. Make no mistake: this movie is making money because people are talking about it. It's become a truly unexpected "must-see" movie of the moment.
It's already the highest-grossing live-action Japanese movie in history in the U.S., with its total standing at $25.4 million (and counting). The film was only supposed to play in America through December 7 but the studio extended its run due to popular demand. Thanks to "The Boy and the Heron" taking the top spot, this marks the first time in box office history that two Japanese movies have been in the top three on the charts at the same time. At a moment when theaters could really use the help, it's Japan to the rescue.
Godzilla's big moment at the box office
What has hurt this fall is that several anticipated titles have underperformed theatrically. Disney's "Wish" was a major disappointment, "The Marvels" flat-out bombed, and even "Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce" dropped significantly in its second frame this past weekend. It's been rough out there for theater owners. That being the case, the fact that this movie has unexpectedly broken out is a welcome surprise. Especially since it's giving IMAX and other premium format screens a boost.
Not to be lost in the conversation is the fact that "Minus One" cost around $10 million to produce. Given the IMAX-worthy scale and blockbuster-sized production value, it's downright hard to believe. Granted, a Hollywood production could never accomplish the same for that amount of money as things work differently in Japan but it's hard not to marvel at what Yamazaki did with so little. And, for Toho, the financial reality is the same. A budget of less than $15 million, widespread critical acclaim (read our review here), and a modest marketing spend means this is going to be a huge hit for the studio. The film has earned $52 million worldwide to date.
It's also worth pointing out that, just ahead of his 70th birthday next year, Godzilla is having arguably his biggest moment ever. We've got this movie being hailed as one of the greatest in the history of the franchise, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is on the way next year, and "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is currently airing on Apple TV+. In short, it's a good time to love monster movies.
"Godzilla Minus One" is in theaters now.