How much has Godzilla Minus One earned at the box office? Details explored as film sets astonishing record

Godzilla Minus One has surprised the entire film industry with an exceptional tale of grief and trauma, told through the familiar monster Godzilla. As the 37th entry in the franchise, few expected the new Japanese epic kaiju film to reach the heights that it has now, especially because of how many prequels it has had over the years.

However, as we move into the third week of the new year, it seems that the movie that first premiered on October 18, 2023, has hit one of the biggest milestones for any Asian film.

As of today, Godzilla Minus One has managed to accumulate $100 million worldwide, making it the sixth-biggest live-action foreign-language film of all time domestically. Moreover, the film has become the first since 2019's Parasite, which went on to win the Oscar, to cross the $50 million mark at the North American box office.

Godzilla Minus One has also delivered the most successful debut ever for a Japanese live-action film at the domestic box office, grossing $11.4 million in the process. These are surprising figures, considering the movie was made on a $15 million budget.

Godzilla Minus One is still far from a digital or streaming release, as Toho has not revealed any plans to make the film available to home audiences in the near future.

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Godzilla Minus One's themes make it universally appealing to viewers

While the use of Godzilla to represent various elements has been a long-drawn theme throughout the history of the giant ancient monster, Godzilla Minus One also has some universally relatable and appealing tropes.

The film is set in the backdrop of post-World War II Japan, which is still in the midst of recovering from a war that took nearly everything from them. The central crisis emerges when Godzilla attacks the city during the rebuilding efforts.

The film follows Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who learns of his parents' demise in the Tokyo bombings and is overpowered by survivor's guilt. He goes on to take care of Noriko, a young woman who also lost her parents in the bombings, and Akiko, a baby he had rescued. This unlikely family struggles to deal with the invasion of the ancient monster.

The themes of family, grief, war, and misfortune piling on misfortunes have made the Takashi Yamazaki-directed film stand out from the rest of the Godzilla movies in the past. Moreover, the project also puts a great emphasis on psychological trauma, barring the monster invasion, which is common in all the other franchise films.

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Godzilla Minus One had its first premiere at the Shinjuku Toho Building on October 18, 2023, and was the closing film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1. It got its Japan release on November 3, 2023, which also marked the franchise's 70th anniversary.

The film was released in the United States by Toho International on December 1, 2023. Since then, it has gathered momentum worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing Japanese films in the foreign market.