Godzilla roaring in pain in Godzilla Minus One
When it released in 2023, Godzilla Minus One was a genuine word-of-mouth hit. The first live-action Toho Godzilla movie since 2016 released in US theaters after years of Hollywood's MonsterVerse franchise establishing its foothold, and as a post-WW2 drama, it offered a much more grounded take on the legendary Kaiju.
Minus One earned the best reviews of any Godzilla movie, currently sporting a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences similarly embraced it. By the end of its run, Godzilla Minus One earned over $100 million worldwide. In the US, it broke the record for the highest-grossing Japanese-language film and now ranks third among foreign-language films overall, topping Bong Joon Ho's Parasite. Hollywood, too, embraced it, and Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Oscars went to Godzilla Minus One for what its team accomplished on a reported $10-15 million budget. This week, Toho unveiled the title of the highly anticipated sequel: Godzilla Minus Zero. According to THR, the Japanese studio has big plans for it, positioning the movie as a"statement piece" and upping the scale with a shoot in New Zealand and Norway. Minus Zero is reportedly targeting a"late-2026 global release window." Even that broad language puts the Kaiju on a direct collision course with a number of big American movies, and it's possible that Toho is hoping to repeat the magic of Minus One's December 1 US release date. But if 2025's box office has taught us anything, it's that Godzilla Minus Zero should be aiming a little earlier. Godzilla Minus Zero Can Help Hollywood Avoid A Repeat Of This Year's Dismal October This past month was a rough time for movie theaters. With most of the year's buzziest horror movies spread out across the calendar and Mortal Kombat 2 shifting to 2026 at the last minute, there were some big holes at the top end. But Tron: Ares, the one remaining blockbuster, bombed, and a worrying number of awardsy, adult-targeted dramas failed to connect. Aside from Black Phone 2 holding down the horror fort, nothing really stepped up to fill the gaps. The result? The month's worst box office performance since the 1990s. A crowded November and December will hopefully come to the rescue this year, but the industry will surely be eager to avoid this happening again in 2026. Next October's calendar already looks better, but also shows signs of the same problem. The Batman: Part 2 has already moved to 2027, while Jordan Peele's next project was removed from Universal's calendar altogether as it awaits production. The remaining movies include some unknowns. Verity, a Colleen Hoover adaptation, will likely do well with its target audience, while Street Fighter is the remaining blockbuster on the board. The others are either execution-dependent or outright gambles. Cruise's post-M:I, non-action movie with Alejandro González Iñárritu; a film continuation of Avatar: The Last Airbender that has yet to be theatrically tested in animation; two original horror movies in Other Mommy and Whalefall; a sequel to The Social Network without Jesse Eisenberg or David Fincher; and M. Night Shyamalan's next film, conceived with novelist Nicholas Sparks. That lineup would benefit from the juice that Godzilla Minus Zero would provide. Notably, nothing is dated for October 30 yet – given how Halloween went this year, placing it there would be a gamble. But the next comparable big-ticket release doesn't come until The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on November 20. If Minus Zero were, say, dated against Shyamalan's Remain, it could have a lengthy run to itself. It could even pick up some IMAX screens, since no new release is currently confirmed to have them between Street Fighter and Hunger Games. After that, Godzilla risks running into some potential buzz saws. Meet the Parents 4 and Greta Gerwig's Narnia open over Thanksgiving . Jumanji 3, Avengers: Doomsday, and Dune: Part 3 all currently await in December. Going up against some of the year's biggest releases is a major risk, especially if the studio is hoping to make a statement. If we're talking in those terms, what Godzilla Minus Zero should be thinking about is headlines, and this year set that up perfectly. If Toho swoops into October 2026 and finds success, they won't just be getting good press about the film itself. When the comparisons to October 2025 come out, their film will be mentioned right along with how the box office was saved. Given how things have gone post-pandemic, that's something the industry wouldn't forget anytime soon. Like Follow Followed Godzilla Minus Zero Horror Drama Sci-Fi Director Takashi Yamazaki Writers Takashi Yamazaki Cast See All
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