Talk about starting the new month off with a bang. In addition to all the excellent titles coming to Netflix in June, the streaming giant saved one big reveal for its own standalone announcement. In the wee hours of the morning on the East Coast came news that the international smash hit, Godzilla Minus One, is now playing.
GODZILLA MINUS ONE
NOW ON NETFLIX! pic.twitter.com/EU4469oRfm
— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2024
Hell yeah.
For anyone who hasn’t seen the latest flick from the long-running kaiju franchise, Godzilla Minus One was one of the best movie theater experiences I’ve had in recent years. Go into the movie as in the dark as you can, because it’s so surprising in so many ways. At its core, it’s an exceptional, character-driven World War II period drama that just so happens to have Godzilla in it. Not that you get any shortage of the iconic mutant monster, but what makes Godzilla Minus One stand out from its predecessors is the focus on the humans who propel the narrative. Ryunosuke Kamiki gives a killer lead performance, and the rest of the ensemble is excellent across the board.
One of the more mind-blowing aspects of the movie is that it was made on only a budget of $10 to $12 million. It wound up being a massive commercial and critical success, raking in almost $116 million worldwide thanks to near-unanimously positive reviews and, of course, because it’s Godzilla. When the big boy does show up, you really feel the terror.
Godzilla Minus One won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Visual Effects thanks to their excellent work at making the titular menace as dread-inducing and destructive as ever. Prolific Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki not only wrote the excellent screenplay, but he was also in charge of creating and supervising the VFX. That makes the modest budget and technical achievements all the more impressive.
With all that praise came an equally mystifying post-theatrical run situation. There was a lot of confused speculation amid a long wait to see when Godzilla Minus One would be available to stream or digitally purchase. Once Netflix dropped the ‘Zilla pun-intended bomb, fans were delighted that the blockbuster was finally available.
Netflix W!!! pic.twitter.com/HOvsebJFKv
— HARD FACTOR (@HardFactorNews) June 1, 2024
Finally!!!!! pic.twitter.com/J7qcVUFdCw
— Preetam Rao (@Preetam_M_Rao) June 1, 2024
Time to run… to Netflix and watch this masterpiece. pic.twitter.com/Iqd6mSlpTI
— Eric Pellinen (@EricPellinen) June 1, 2024
I spent at least a couple of hours trawling Reddit to find a good copy of this movie for Netflix to just drop this on us with a random tweet and zero fanfare!
— Vivek Girotra (@vivekgirotra) June 1, 2024
Let's go! pic.twitter.com/HeA70762ew
— Glunt (@flyingglunt) June 1, 2024
It’s time pic.twitter.com/A3WSAF6eu7
— THE BOULDER 🪨 (@BASINGSEGRAPS) June 1, 2024
Wait, what? I was looking to rent/buy it for months and I get to see it for 'free'? Tell me it's streaming in UK as well or I'm gonna lose it.
— Z.J. Majewski (@ne0mega) June 1, 2024
Wow 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XHj5r83Qni
— 𝓜𝓮𝓰𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓲𝓰𝓪 ❤️🔥💋 (@MegnaMiga) June 1, 2024
Many have been waiting for this one for so long. You should've released it with a proper announcement 🤷 #GodzillaMinusOne
— Hail Prabhas (@HailPrabhas007) June 1, 2024
Little doubt in my mind that Godzilla Minus One will skyrocket to the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 in short order.
PS, if you want to check out a black-and-white version of the film, the aptly titled Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, that’s a-go for digital purchase/rental as of Saturday, too.
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color is also now available for digital purchase and digital rental. Learn more: https://t.co/yNoMbojitj pic.twitter.com/rzBwIeAWqB
— GODZILLA.OFFICIAL (@Godzilla_Toho) June 1, 2024
Now all us physical media heads are waiting for is a 4K release, rife with special features goodness. Praying that won’t be another lengthy exercise in patience!
