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‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Stars Relive Hollywood Ovation and Fan Chants for Yamazaki Takashi at Tokyo Festival
· Confirmed
In Short: Godzilla Minus Zero, the highly anticipated sequel to 2023's Godzilla Minus One, premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival, drawing rapturous applause and excited chatter from audiences, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, was met with a warm reception, with Variety reporting that the crowd erupted into uncharacteristically rapturous applause after the screening, while The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film was a “radioactive blast” and “a crackling kaiju epic every bit as exciting as its predecessor.”
Bloody-Disgusting and Entertainment Weekly reported that the film is set in 1949, two years after the events of its predecessor, and explores Japan's recovery from the devastation caused by Godzilla. The film's official trailer, released by Bloody-Disgusting, highlights the return of Godzilla and the introduction of a new threat, Ghidorah.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Godzilla Minus Zero premiered at the New York Film Festival in September, where it garnered a 92 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from 52 reviews. Ihorror reported that the film had a 93 percent score from 14 reviews by the end of September, indicating strong critical reception.
The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe, who both reprised their roles from Godzilla Minus One. Kamiki told Variety he was both “excited” and “a little bit scared” as the film's release date approaches, while Hamabe praised the young actress Nagatani for her flawless performance.
Flickeringmyth highlighted that the film's formula is more-of-the-same, but praised it as not a bad thing, emphasizing the director's understanding of the Godzilla franchise. The publication noted that Ghidorah, the main antagonist, is not shown in the final trailer, which runs 73 seconds.
Background
Godzilla Minus Zero is a 2026 Japanese epic kaiju film written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. A sequel to Godzilla Minus One (2023), it is the 39th film in the Godzilla franchise, the 34th film thereof produced by Toho, and the sixth installment in the franchise's Reiwa era.
What's confirmed
- The film is set i n 1949 — two years after the events of its predecessor.
What's still developing
- The King of the Monsters is headed back to theaters this November, and Toho is giving us a fresh look at Godzilla Minus Zero this morning with a brand new official trailer.
- The trailer begins by confirming Godzilla was not fully destroyed, and offers a glimpse at the latest kaiju (giant monster) extermination operation.
- “We looked at a lot of different Godzillas throughout the years and as a team we wanted to get the essence of what we thought most actually represented what Godzilla is about,” Yamazaki said in the press room at the 2024 Oscars.
- It’s kinda like the OG Monarch, and Zero throws them and the audience in at the deep end with the arrival of a terrifying new Kaiju named Ghidorah.
- Dread Central’s Rory Doherty, who scored the film 3 out of 5 on Saturday, writes that Ghidorah is the main antagonist and that Godzilla himself turns up roughly three times across the first 90 minutes. iHorror’s September piece noted Ghidorah was not shown, named or confirmed by Toho, and that has not changed.
- Godzilla Minus Zero is playing as the “centerpiece film” of the Tokyo festival’s programming this year, and it undoubtedly brought a welcome jolt of energy to the event as it moves through its second half.
- The film was a smash with both critics and mainstream moviegoers, making history as the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film ever in North America ($57.1 million) and later becoming the first film in the multi-decade Godzilla franchise to take home an Oscar, winning the best visual effects award despite competing in the category against Hollywood tentpoles with vastly bigger budgets.
- When the credits rolled on the second screening inside Hulic Hall Tokyo, the crowd erupted into uncharacteristically rapturous applause, with the always respectful but typically subdued Japanese festivalgoers all smiles and excited chatter over favorite monster moments as they poured into the autumn evening in Tokyo’s Ginza district — where much of the carnage on screen takes place.
- “Godzilla Minus One” was the highest-grossing Japan-produced “Godzilla” film, earning more than $116 million worldwide and winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the first time any “Godzilla” film has won an Oscar.
- The latest trailer gives audiences a further glimpse at the scale of the sequel, including Godzilla's return and the destruction that follows as the characters attempt to confront a new threat.
- The new film returns to a Japan still recovering from the devastation caused by Godzilla, before the monster emerges once again.
- “The energy was simply extraordinary,” Kamiki said.