“Godzilla Minus Zero” Roars Into Theaters With November Release

From a purely mathematical standpoint, the title of the forthcoming kaiju movie, “Godzilla Minus Zero,” seems to be embracing the classic sequel adage (especially applicable to the monster-movie genre) of “Go bigger.” As for whether it will go better… Well, that’s a tall order. Its predecessor, “Godzilla Minus One,” was one of 2023’s greatest pieces of cinematic entertainment, merging the requisite terrifying kaiju action with far rarer human story values to create a superb entry into one of cinema’s longest-running blockbuster franchises. Naturally, a sequel was in order, and it will be released late this year.

A November Release – Four Months Shy of Another Franchise Entry

“Godzilla Minus Zero,” which, like its predecessor, is directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced/distributed by Toho Studios, is scheduled for release in its native Japan on Nov. 3. This is the same release date as the “Godzilla” film that started the franchise all the way back in 1954, which is why this day is designated “Godzilla Day.”

“Godzilla Minus Zero” will come out in the United States three days later. “Minus One,” which had the same Japanese release date, didn’t open in America until Dec. 1; perhaps this much narrower window is the result of greater confidence in the American success of “Minus Zero” after the runaway international popularity of the previous film.

In any case, it’s essential for “Godzilla Minus Zero” to come out before the end of the year: Toho has a deal with Legendary Pictures, the American company behind the Monsterverse, that prohibits more than one Godzilla film per calendar year. The Monsterverse’s “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova” is slated for release on March 26 of 2027. This schedule mirrors how Monsterverse’s previous entry, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” came out in March of 2024, in the wake of “Minus One.” With a release date separation of a little under five months, the theatrical runs of the two upcoming films aren’t likely to overlap.

What Is It About?

Unavailable for now is any information regarding the plot of “Godzilla Minus Zero.” There aren’t even any confirmed facts yet about the casting for this sequel, so it’s impossible to say who, if anyone, will be returning from “Minus One.” That film’s ending definitely contained a few elements that called out for a follow-up – most obviously, the apparent reanimation of Godzilla’s corpse before it could sink to the bottom of the ocean, and the creepy lingering effects of Godzilla’s heat ray on Noriko (Minami Hamabe) – so it’s very reasonable to expect that “Minus Zero” will pick up such dangling threads.

All arithmetical jokes aside, it’s also genuinely interesting to ponder the meaning behind the title “Godzilla Minus Zero.” “Godzilla Minus One” has a very esoteric significance: it evokes how the national morale of post-World War II Japan (the film’s setting) was at an all-time low point, even without the depredations of a gargantuan radioactive reptile. This general demoralization dovetails poignantly with the psyche of the protagonist, Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a former kamikaze pilot who now lives in shame because he forsook his wartime duty to die for his country.

Does “Minus Zero” indicate that the sequel’s heroes (or, more broadly, perhaps the people of Japan as a whole) have recovered from this abject state and are more prepared than they were before to take on Godzilla for the second time? This, in turn, raises equally intriguing questions about the time period in which “Godzilla Minus Zero” will take place. Depending on how much time will have passed between it and “Minus One,” the national Japanese condition and international geopolitics could be markedly different from what they were in the previous film, which certainly could impact the film’s plot. (Recall the importance of specific non-fictitious political tensions in “Minus One.”)

If you loved “Godzilla Minus One” as much as most of the world did, then waste no time marking one or both of the aforementioned release dates on your calendar (or perhaps another as yet unmentioned one, if you reside in neither Japan nor the United States).