GODZILLA MINUS ONE Third Highest-Grossing Non-English Movie in U.S. History

Published: February 1, 2024

GODZILLA MINUS ONE Third Highest-Grossing Non-English Movie in U.S. History

By Movieguide® Contributor

GODZILLA MINUS ONE just hit a major box office milestone — it’s now one of the top three highest-grossing non-English movies in U.S. history.

A recent rerelease of the movie in black and white is partly to thank for the record. The new version, GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR, had a one-week limited engagement.

“The new version added $2.6 million to the film’s American cume — its highest weekend total since New Year’s weekend, — to bring it to $55 million,” The Wrap reported.

This number means it surpassed the Oscar-winning PARASITE, coming in behind LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE received excellent reviews from critics and audiences alike. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

ABC News wrote that the movie franchise “finally has a script with a depth to match [its] dazzle, not to mention a beating heart,” while The Guardian called it “one of the very best” in the movie’s franchise.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE is nominated for Movieguide®’s Best Movie for Mature Audiences. Movieguide®’s review reads:

GODZILLA MINUS ONE is a Japanese monster movie. At the end of World War II, a Japanese pilot named Shikishima refuses to go on a suicidal kamikaze mission. Then, Shikishima survives an attack on his airbase by a huge reptilian monster. Godzilla kills everyone except him and a mechanic. Shikishima’s guilt follows him to Tokyo, where he discovers his parents were killed in an Allied bombing. Building his new civilian life, he takes care of a young woman named Noriko and her adopted child. Their lives are threatened when Godzilla appears again.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE delivers a stirring drama where Godzilla is, surprisingly, not the movie’s most interesting element. At its core, the movie shows how wounds of guilt and trauma can be healed by love, forgiveness and the belief that every human life has value and deserves to continue. GODZILLA MINUS ONE is a remarkably written and crafted picture. It not only leads viewers to an epic battle between a war-torn pilot and his monstrous nemesis, but also through a deep, internal crisis within the hero. Caution is advised for older children.