Under $15 million, a first-ever Oscar for Japan and now the first R-rated Godzilla: the story of 'Godzilla Minus Zero', which brought its effects team to New York Comic Con

In 2023, director Takashi Yamazaki made a monster movie on a budget under $15 million — a fraction of what Hollywood spends on visual effects alone. 'Godzilla Minus One' grossed $116 million worldwide, became one of Japan's highest-grossing films ever and won the Oscar for visual effects, the first for a Japanese film in that category. Yamazaki at one point denied there were talks of a sequel, but later admitted he had already 'planted the seed': according to producer Kazuaki Kishida, planning began in late May 2023, and Toho confirmed the new film in November 2024. The title, 'Godzilla Minus Zero', was unveiled on Nov. 3, 2025, at Godzilla Fest.

The story is set in 1949, two years after Godzilla was defeated and sunk in Sagami Bay. A dragon-like kaiju, later named King Ghidorah, attacks the city of Matsumoto, and Godzilla regenerates and returns larger and more aggressive — with the destruction reaching New York. Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return as Kōichi and Noriko, joined by newcomers Masami Nagasawa and Jun Kunimura. Filming ran from August to December 2025, and it is the first Japanese production shot for IMAX; Yamazaki says the budget is bigger than its predecessor's, without giving figures.

The world premiere was on Sept. 26 at the New York Film Festival, and first reactions compared it to 'Terminator 2', 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Godfather Part II'; it holds 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is also the first Godzilla film rated R in the U.S., for 'bloody images'. On Saturday (Oct. 10), Kishida brought VFX artist Tatsuji Nojima, sound designer Natsuko Inoue and sound mixer Hisafumi Takeuchi to New York Comic Con to share behind-the-scenes stories. The film opens in Japan on Nov. 3 and in North America, via GKIDS, on Nov. 6.