While audiences have yet to see exactly what Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will bring to the MonsterVerse, many would argue that the best mega-creature feature of the modern era was released in 2023 in the form of Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One. (Check out where it landed on our Best 2023 Movies list.) I couldn’t personally argue that point, as I unfortunately missed out on the critically adored action-drama when it was in theaters. And as hard as it may be to believe, Godzilla Minus One is heading into Oscar weekend as an Academy Awards nominee that isn’t currently available for audiences to watch in any capacity.
It’s almost too anti-intuitive to be true, but that’s the current reality of the situation, and it’s frustrating for anyone like me who may now be more readily available for a sit down with the radioactive behemoth. But why is this even a pop culture hurdle in the first place?
Why Isn't Godzilla Minus One Still In Theaters?
While there are no guarantees that multiplexes around the U.S. would still be filling seats for the Toho production, the fact that it became the #3 highest-grossing Japanese film in U.S. box office history is at least a nudge in the "could happen" direction. There weren't any particularly massive drop-offs, and the innitial reports about the film leaving theaters early was met with confusion and derision.
That's right, Godzilla Minus One was yoinked right out of its record-breaking theatrical run at the start of February 2024, well ahead of any perceived expiration dates. The reported reasoning had nothing to do with drooping ticket sales or a lack of audiences, but was instead just a way to put a bigger window in the 2024 movie schedule between the internationally renowned film and the upcoming release of Adam Wingard's Godzilla X Kong, which debuts on March 29, 2024.
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Another alleged stipulation that likely plays into this is that while Toho and Legendary Entertainment are mutually able to develop and produce Godzilla features, the agreement supposedly prohibits the studios from both releasing any of those projects during the same calendar year. (They don't have to be a year apart, however, with Godzilla Minus One arriving in U.S. theaters in December 2023.)
So if Legendary had slotted Godzilla x Kong for a summer release, I might not even have this scaly chip on my shoulder.
Why Isn't Godzilla Minus One Available To Stream Anywhere?
Whenever the modestly budgeted action extravaganza left theaters in February, many assumed that the shift would be soon followed by confirmation about when Godzilla Minus One would be available to purchase or rent via the home entertainment sphere. Or, even better, when it might hit Max or another streaming service for repeat viewing ahead of the Oscars.
Unfortunately, no such news came out at the time, and there's still a dearth of updates on the film's PVOD status. It's unclear whether or not this side of things is directly related to the Toho/Legendary deal, or if there's an additional layer to consider. It would make sense for that to be the case, since Legendary would likely want to avoid the Japanese hit's popularity continuing to overlap with Blu-ray and streaming popularity, even though it seems brutally unfair to keep audiences from seeing such a popular film over corporate preferences. (As if there was any better reason to execs.)
What Oscar Is Godzilla Minus One Nominated For?
Despite being one of the most highly rated films released in 2023, Takashi Yamazaki's film only earned a single nod for Best Visual Effects. Though that's a sore misrepresenation of things, as we've reported on how Godzilla Minus Zero deserved far more Oscar love, and how a Best Picture nod wouldn't have been questioned had it happened.
For now, we'll have to wait and see if it takes home the prize for the visual effects team's wildly impressive work on such a minimal budget. Hopefully the sequel talks and ideas keep going regardless of what happens on the night of the ceremony.
The 96th annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 10, at the earlier-than-usual time of 7:00 p.m. ET.
