Godzilla 2

The iconic monster is creating a huge blast at the box office in Japan — much bigger than expected!

When Shin Godzilla opened in theaters in Japan on July 29, we’re sure that fans were more than excited about the first Godzilla movie to come out of Japan in 12 years. And it certainly didn’t hurt that the film was directed by Hideaki Anno, creator of the hit anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Shinji Higuchi, director of the live action Attack on Titan movies. But in all honesty, there was probably also quite a bit of uncertainty as to what we might expect from the movie. Would the new film do justice to one of the most beloved monster franchises of all times?

Well, a month after its release, it seems that the movie is delivering on its promise and more, at least based on the figures at the box office.

Godzilla shot

As of August 29, Shin Godzilla has grossed over 5.3 billion yen (approximately US$51 million), which incidentally has now surpassed the box office sales for another of Anno’s films, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. So far, roughly 3.6 million moviegoers have gone to see the monster on the big screen in Japan.

Indeed, audiences genuinely seem to be enjoying the new movie in general, and favorable word-of-mouth reviews combined with hard-core fans who have been to see the film multiple times have apparently resulted in the impressive figures.

In fact, it now looks quite possible that Shin Godzilla will be the highest grossing Japanese live-action film this year, the highest earner before it having been Nobunaga Concerto which made 4.6 billion yen earlier this year. 

The series of Godzilla films made in Japan, of which Shin Godzilla is the 29th, has also now apparently sold a total of over 100 million tickets. The long running series of Doraemon anime films has also surpassed the 100 million mark over the years, but Godzilla is apparently the first live-action movie series to reach that number.

The movie has already been released in parts of Asia, and the recent buzz on the internet seems to be that it might open in the U.S. around mid-October. If the response in Japan is anything to go by, it looks like Shin Godzilla could well be worth watching, especially if you’re into monsters and lots of destruction!

We’ll leave you with trailers from the movie’s official website. Enjoy!

Source: Hachima Kiko (1), Hachima Kiko (2)
Top Image: Shin Godzilla Official website
Insert image: YouTube/Toho Movie Channel