'Godzilla Minus One' earns $14.4M in North America; creates record
Godzilla Minus One has taken the crown as the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in North America, raking in a whopping $14.36M at the box office. Directed by the talented Takashi Yamazaki, this monster flick has outdone The Adventures of Milo & Otis, which held the record since 1989 with earnings of $14.1M. Toho International, the film's distributor, has been adding more screens to meet the high demand, and it's now playing in 2,540 locations.
Impressive opening weekend and critical appreciation
The movie's opening weekend in North America was a smashing success, earning over $11.4M and becoming the biggest Stateside debut of a foreign film this year. It even surpassed Godzilla 2000 Millennium, which made $10M. Critics and audiences alike have showered Godzilla Minus One with praise, earning a 97% rating from critics and a 98% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yamazaki's reaction to the success
Yamazaki, who not only directed but also wrote the screenplay and served as director of VFX, spoke to Deadline and said, "I am happy that Godzilla, of all characters, has eclipsed a record that had not been broken for a long time." Set in post-World War II Japan, the film follows the country as it faces a new crisis in the form of a giant monster.
