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The Big Picture

• Godzilla Minus One has surpassed the $50 million mark at the North American box office, making it the first foreign language film since 2019 to achieve this feat.
• The film has received critical acclaim, with a "certified fresh" score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Godzilla Minus One is on track to cross the $100 million mark worldwide and has already become the sixth-biggest live-action foreign-language film domestically.

Godzilla Minus One has been one of the sensations of the past 12 months, and has knocked down yet another massive hurdle on its way to making box office history. The film has become the first foreign language film of the decade to breach the $50 million mark at the North American box office, after taking in an estimated $203,000 on Friday, pushing its domestic totals to $50.07 million. Critically adored, it sits at a “certified fresh” 98% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

The last film to achieve such a feat was 2019's Parasite, the eventual Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards. More notable, however, is that more than half of Parasite's eventual $53.4 million final total came after it was nominated for Best Picture, which would naturally give the film something of a boost at theaters in the run up to Hollywood's biggest night of the year.

It's yet another titanic achievement for the critically acclaimed kaiju film, which is aiming to cross the $100 million mark worldwide soon. The movie has already overtaken Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to become the sixth-biggest live-action foreign-language film of all time domestically. It made history by delivering the best ever debut for a Japanese live-action film at the domestic box office, when it grossed $11.4 million and finished at the number three spot.

What is 'Godzilla Minus One' About?

The film is set in post-war Japan, focusing on how the country, already devastated by war, deals with the emergence of Godzilla during the rebuilding period after World War II. The plot centers around Kōichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot who, near the end of World War II in 1945, lands on Odo Island, abandoning his duty to his country. There, he encounters Godzilla, a large prehistoric creature that attacks the island. Shikishima is unable to act against the monster and is knocked unconscious, with only lead mechanic Tachibana surviving alongside him.

Shikishima returns home to discover his parents were killed in the bombing of Tokyo, while battling with survivor's guilt, and helps to support Noriko, a young woman whose parents were also lost in the bombing along with Akiko, an orphaned baby rescued by Akiko. The trio form an unorthodox family unit, until Godzilla, mutated and empowered by nuclear tests, begins attacking, leading to a series of confrontations and a plan to destroy Godzilla using a combination of military strategy and science.

The film explores themes of despair, the aftermath of war, and the struggle of dealing with both a literal and metaphorical monster, while the title refers to the concept of Japan being brought into the 'minus' due to the catastrophic impact of Godzilla on top of the war. The film was acclaimed for its tone, characterisation, and effects on a limited budget.

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One is currently playing in theaters.

Godzilla Minus One

Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.

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