Godzilla Minus One reveals when it’s leaving cinemas for good

If you still haven’t watched Godzilla Minus One on the big screen, your days are numbered – it’s leaving cinemas very soon.

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the new movie takes Godzilla away from the absurd theatrics of the MonsterVerse and back to the trauma of post-war Japan. While its people try to rebuild their lives in the wake of the conflict, nuclear tests cause a kaiju evolution that puts millions of lives at risk once more.

Coming seven years after Shin Godzilla, it’s the 33rd movie in Toho’s franchise – and, amazingly, it might be the best of them all. The reviews back that claim, and the numbers have been extraordinary; just today, it crossed the $100 million mark at the worldwide box office.

With its black and white “Minus Color” version heading to US shores, we have some bad news: soon, it’ll leave theaters with no sign of return.

Godzilla Minus One is leaving cinemas soon

Godzilla Minus One will officially end its theatrical run on February 1, 2024.

This comes just over two weeks after its black and white re-release in Japan, which is due to premiere in US cinemas on January 26 – that means you’ll have just five days to watch it.

“Such a banger they announce when it leaves theaters,” one user tweeted. “I can’t stress enough how good this was. Run to the theater if you have the chance,” another wrote.

Its performance speaks for itself: in the US alone, it’s made more than $50 million. That makes it the highest-grossing Japanese film ever released in North America and the fifth-biggest non-English language movie in the country’s box office history.

The accolades keep rolling in, with critics societies around the world honoring Minus One with VFX awards – and even bigger nominations, potentially paving the way for the Oscars.

If you’re weighing up whether or not to watch the new version, two things: firstly, don’t be silly; secondly, the director has assured that it’s been a “meticulous and complex” edit rather than a cash-grab.

In a statement, he said: “The black-and-white images make Godzilla look very realistic and documentary-like, which leads to even more fear. Even though we have seen GODZILLA MINUS ONE many times, we felt that something completely different appeared here -and it’s very scary! So this is not only for those who liked GODZILLA MINUS ONE but also those who are seeing it for the first time –  they should definitely see this black-and-white version. Especially the scene at the beginning where Godzilla appears in the night – it is so terrifying that it made my knees shake!”

You can find out what we know about Godzilla Minus One’s Blu-ray release here.