Godzilla has conquered the US box office (again) with the 4K re-release of 2016's critically-acclaimed Shin Godzilla. The film grossed $2.5 million in its opening weekend, which is more than its entire original domestic run ($1.9 million), and an impressive result for a re-released foreign film.
Produced by Toho Studios and brought back to US cinemas by GKIDS, the film sees politicians struggle to deal with the appearance of a giant monster that levels up every time it's attacked. Created in the aftermath of Fukushima's nuclear disaster in 2011, it brought the legendary franchise back to its origins following the monster's 10-year hiatus at Toho.
Shin Godzilla was directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. After becoming the highest grossing live-action Japanese film in 2016, the film became a global success, landing an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Last month, Toho International head Koji Ueda confirmed that a potential follow-up to Shin Godzilla is in the works, while a sequel to the record-breaking Godzilla Minus One could come as soon as next year.
Released in 2023, Minus One scored big at both Japanese and international box offices, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2024, becoming the first movie not in the English language to take home the award. Set in post-war Japan, the film follows a kamikaze pilot with PTSD and the new family he finds in the aftermath of the war, which is threatened by the emergence of Godzilla in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Legendary Pictures is already working on the next MonsterVerse movie, officially titled Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, which will be released on March 26, 2027.
Season 2 of Apple TV Plus' series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is also coming to our screens soon, as filming wrapped earlier this year.
For more, fill out your watchlist with our guide to all of 2025's most exciting upcoming movies.
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