Godzilla stomps his way to Las Vegas to attend CinemaCon, an annual convention for movie theater owners held at Caesars Palace. The first trailer for Toho’s upcoming sequel Godzilla Minus Zero was shown to attendees at the venue.
“Minus Zero” is a direct sequel to the 2023 Japanese film “Godzilla Minus One,” which was a surprise hit around the world and won the Best Visual Effects Award. CinemaCon viewers watched a behind-the-scenes sizzle reel showing off the elaborate sets and props created for the film, including a bomber, a destroyed city, and a mini-Godzilla model. Director Takashi Yamazaki revealed that the trailer takes place two years after “Minus One” and continues the story of those who survived the monster’s final attack. In the final moments, Godzilla sets his sights on New York City and stomps toward the Statue of Liberty.
“Minus One” is the 37th film in the “Godzilla” series and the 33rd film produced by Toho, the Japanese entertainment company that created the giant lizard-like monster bent on destruction. Writer/director Yamazaki will also return for “Minus Zero,” which has a bigger budget than the already economical $15 million “Godzilla Minus One.” The first movie grossed $116 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla movie in history, and the third movie to be released domestically in 2023. “Godzilla Minus Zero” was also the first Japanese film to be shot in IMAX.
The cast included Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Takataka Aoki, and Hidetaka Yoshioka, who played the role of a former suicide bomber who survives and later defeats Godzilla. At the 2023 Academy Awards, Minus One became the first non-English film to win Best Visual Effects, beating out Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Creator, Napoleon, and Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning.
“Minus Zero” will be released in the US on November 6th and in Japan on November 3rd, but Hollywood is also getting into the Godzilla action with next year’s “Godzilla X Kong: Supernova.” The film is the sixth film in Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures’ MonsterVerse series and is a sequel to the 2024 film Godzilla x Kong: New Empire.
