The legendary King of the Monsters returns to Japanese theaters in Toho's highly anticipated Godzilla Minus One in less than two weeks, but the movie won't hit the U.S. until December 1.
We hadn't been made aware of a potential release date outside of those initial regions, but THR (via SFFGazette.com) has learned that the film has locked down distribution with Glasgow-based distributor Anime Ltd., and will roar into cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland a couple of weeks later on December 15.
The current plan in to debut Minus One in 200 to 250 locations around the U.K. and Ireland. Hopefully, it will prove popular enough with movie-goers to warrant a wider release down the line.
The run-time for Minus One was recently revealed, and the movie is set to clock in at 125 minutes, (2 hours and 5 minutes), tying it with Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) as the longest Toho Godzilla film. This also makes it the third longest in the entire franchise (Hollywood and Polygon productions included) after Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2 hours and 12 minutes) and 1998's Godzilla (2 hours and 19 minutes).
Anime Ltd. has also shared an international trailer, but aside from maybe one or two shots near the end, it seems to be pretty much the same as the first teaser that released last month.
This will be Toho's first Godzilla movie since 2016's Shin Godzilla. Information beyond the title is sparse, but we do know that Takashi Yamazaki - the filmmaker who worked on visual effects for Shin Godzilla - will direct the film.
Yamazaki recently outlined his original pitch for the project, while explaining that unusual title.
"Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be "experienced" rather than "watched" in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment."
Specific plot details are also still under wraps, but a (very) brief synopsis tells us that Godzilla: Minus One "sees an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla."
The movie is set to debut in Japan on November 3, 2023 and in theaters in the US nationwide on December 1, 2023.