Roland Emmerich’s 1998 Godzilla is now streaming free with ads on Pluto TV in the United States, a move timed to the theatrical release of Godzilla Minus Zero. Fandango at Home also added the film to its free lineup on November 1.
The Film That Started a Wait
When Godzilla Minus One arrived in 2023, it did so after a seven-year gap in live-action Toho productions. Following Shin Godzilla (2016), Toho was contractually barred by Legendary Entertainment from producing another live-action entry until 2020. Executive producer Minami Ichikawa appointed Takashi Yamazaki upon the completion of The Great War of Archimedes (2019), and development began in March of that year when Yamazaki devised the plot. Principal photography was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the director three years to refine the script. Filming eventually took place from March to June 2022 in Chūbu and Kantō on a reputed $10 million budget. Shirogumi’s Chōfu studio then spent eight months on visual effects.
Post-War Setting and a Kamikaze Pilot
The 37th film in the franchise and the fifth of the Reiwa era is set in post-war Japan. Ryunosuke Kamiki stars as Kōichi Shikishima, a former kamikaze pilot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after an early encounter with the monster on Odo Island. The supporting cast includes Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki. The film premiered at the Shinjuku Toho Building on October 18, 2023, and opened in Japan on November 3, the franchise’s 70th anniversary. Toho International released it in the United States and Canada on December 1.
Box Office Records and Critical Acclaim
When it opened in 2023, the movie became the highest-grossing Japanese-language Godzilla film of all time, surpassing Shin Godzilla and the 1954 original. It grossed $116 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2023. Despite mixed reception from Japanese critics, it earned widespread international acclaim, with many Western critics ranking it among the best films of the year and the best in the franchise. It secured a leading 12 nominations at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize, winning eight.
Historic Oscar Win
The film won Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards, the first Oscar in the franchise’s history. Yamazaki, who wrote, directed, and led the visual effects team, achieved the feat on a budget a fraction of typical Hollywood tentpoles. The Academy recognition capped a sweep that included the Japan Academy Film Prizes and cemented the film’s status as a landmark for Japanese cinema.
The Reiwa Era Continues
A sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, was released in November 2026. Yamazaki returned to direct, pitting Godzilla against King Ghidorah in a story set two years after the original. The 1998 Emmerich film, starring Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno, remains available on Pluto TV and Fandango at Home as the new chapter plays in theatres.
Sources
- The ‘Godzilla’ Movie That Divided Fans Is Officially Getting a New Streaming Release
- Godzilla Minus One
- As A Godzilla Megafan, Here's Why Godzilla Minus Zero Is Better Than Minus One
- ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ succeeds at spectacle, but forgets what made ‘Minus One’ special
- Ghidorah Brings Gravity to ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’
- “Godzilla Minus Zero:” a monstrously good film – The Rider News
Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan (CC BY 2.0)
