toho studio
The U.S. theatrical release date for Godzilla Minus Zero, the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, has been decided, and Toho and GKIDS plan to release the long-awaited sequel in North American theaters on November 6, 2026. The sequel will be released a few days after the film’s release in Japan on November 3rd, which is unusual for a Godzilla movie made in Japan to be released at almost the same time. An Australian release date has not yet been announced.
There’s a bit of franchise poetry in this timing. November 3rd is recognized as Godzilla Day in Japan, marking the anniversary of the release of the first Godzilla in 1954. This day also marked the 2023 release of Godzilla Minus-One, a release that has quietly snowballed into one of the most acclaimed modern films in the series.
Production has already begun at Toho Studios, with Takashi Yamazaki returning as director, screenwriter, and visual effects supervisor. The robot will be in charge of producing, and the white team will be in charge of visual effects. Plot details remain secret, but the sequel’s title was officially announced during Godzilla Fest in November, following the initial announcement of the 2024 project.
Built on an unlikely modern classic
Details of the story of “Godzilla Minus Zero” have not yet been revealed. The original film is set in post-war Japan and follows former kamikaze pilot Koichi as he grapples with survivor guilt, trauma, and responsibility as he confronts the threat of resurrected monsters. The cast included Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki.
Godzilla Minus One proved to be a real breakout film, especially with international audiences. The film grossed approximately $56 million in North America, making it the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film released in the U.S. market. It went on to gross more than $113 million worldwide.
The film also made history for the series by becoming the first Godzilla film to be nominated for and win an Academy Award, winning the 2024 Oscar for Best Visual Effects. In his Oscar speech, director Yamazaki reflected on his journey from a small production in Japan to worldwide recognition, saying, “Until now, the possibility of being on this stage, let alone Hollywood, seemed out of reach. The moment we were nominated, we felt like Rocky Balboa was being welcomed into the ring as an equal by his biggest rivals. That had already happened.” It’s a miracle. But here we stand! ”
Takashi Yamazaki will work on AI as the sequel scales up
Director Yamazaki previously admitted that Minus One was made on a surprisingly small budget of around $15 million, and that the sequel is expected to be much larger. In the wake of its success, and the relatively low-budget Oscar-winning film, the filmmaker has also noted the growing role of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, but it seems he’s in no rush to embrace it just yet.
Speaking to Variety about the use of technology in 2025, Yamazaki said that AI in its current form is “a very capable assistant or tool,” but stressed that it is not yet ready to replace human creativity, adding: “We are not yet at the stage where it can take center stage and produce what humans can do.” While acknowledging the speed at which technology is evolving, he said AI is currently “not in any of our pipelines for that reason,” suggesting that the practical application of AI remains limited at this point.
His hesitation is also rooted in how his own hands-on filmmaking process remains. “Until recently I have been shooting with film, and I like using miniatures,” Yamazaki explained. “So I know that at some point we’ll have to embrace and work on AI. But I like working with old technologies and techniques, so I’ll probably be one of the latter.”
A busy but promising year for Godzilla
2026 is shaping up to be a busy year for the King of the Monsters more broadly, with fans looking forward to monster action on both the big and small screens. Apple TV+ will release Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters in February, expanding the MonsterVerse TV side of the series. You can watch the Season 2 release date announcement trailer here.
