Godzilla Minus One was a surprise Oscar hit. Now it’s back – with double the monsters

The Sydney Morning Herald · Nell Geraets · 2026-11-06 08:00 UTC

Takashi Yamazaki’s first Godzilla film became one of the biggest sleeper hits of 2023, then went on to win an Oscar. Did such success help or hinder the sequel?

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There was a point in 2023 when Godzilla Minus One was potentially not going to show in Australian cinemas. Takashi Yamazaki’s film, the first live-action Japanese-produced Godzilla movie in nearly a decade, was set for a quiet run, more or less confined to Japan and the US. Then people started seeing it.

The film quickly picked up steam, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese live-action movie in North America. Made by a team of just 35 visual effects artists for $US15 million ($21 million), the kaiju production wowed audiences, earning a broader global release and winning an Academy Award for visual effects – a first for the 70-year-old franchise.

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