Godzilla Minus Zero, Takashi Yamazaki's sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One, opens in Japan on November 3 and in North America on November 6. Early reviews are strong: Rotten Tomatoes shows 95% from 43 reviews.
One detail trips people up. Our listing currently shows November 3, which is the Japanese date. If you are in the United States, the wide release is three days later.
The Dates
According to Wikipedia's entry and the Rotten Tomatoes page:
- September 26: world premiere at the New York Film Festival
- November 1: Tokyo International Film Festival, as its centerpiece
- November 3: Japan release, with early IMAX showings in the U.S., the U.K. and Mexico the same day
- November 6: North American wide release, including IMAX, through GKIDS
GKIDS is listed as the U.S. distributor on Rotten Tomatoes. Toho, the studio behind the series, distributes in Japan.
Both Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes give the runtime as 135 minutes (2 hours 15 minutes).
What the Film Is
Yamazaki wrote and directed it and also supervised the visual effects. It is set in 1949, two years after the events of Minus One, with postwar Japan still recovering. Wikipedia lists two monsters: Godzilla, returning larger and more aggressive, and King Ghidorah, which first appears in a smaller single-headed form before becoming three-headed.
Returning cast members include Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe. New to the series are Min Tanaka, Masami Nagasawa and Jun Kunimura.
It is also the first Godzilla film rated R by the MPA for a U.S. release, for "some violent content/bloody images," per Wikipedia. That is a notable change for a franchise often aimed at a broad audience.
What Critics Are Saying
Beyond Rotten Tomatoes' 95%, Wikipedia reports a Metacritic score of 77 from 22 critics, described as "generally favorable." As summarized there, reviewers praised the effects and scale, and some debated whether it surpasses its predecessor. The reservations center on structure, tone and a weaker ending.
Treat those numbers as early. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score is not live yet, and early reviews from festival premieres can skew positive.
Why Expectations Are High
Godzilla Minus One won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and became one of the highest-grossing Japanese films of all time, according to Wikipedia. It cost under $15 million. Yamazaki has said the sequel's budget is larger, though no figure has been disclosed.
Boxoffice Pro projected a U.S. and Canada opening of about $25 million to $35 million, per Wikipedia. That is a forecast, not a result.
On Incoming's hype ranking, which covers movies, TV, games, music and books, the film is currently 29th.
It also lands on the same weekend as Wild Horse Nine. If you are choosing between them, we have a separate guide to that film's reviews.
Editorial Take: The most interesting thing about this release is the gap between its cost and its reputation. A film made for under $15 million won the effects Oscar, and its sequel is being treated as an event with a bigger budget and an R rating. The risk for a follow-up is that the thing audiences loved was the restraint, and bigger is not always better. The early scores suggest Yamazaki has managed it, but the reservations about structure and the ending are worth reading before you buy a ticket.
Track Godzilla Minus Zero on Incoming →
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Godzilla Minus Zero come out in the U.S.? November 6, 2026, in wide release including IMAX, through GKIDS. Japan gets it on November 3.
Do I need to see Godzilla Minus One first? It is a direct sequel set two years after the first film, so watching Minus One first makes sense.
What is the rating? It is rated R in the U.S. for some violent content and bloody images, the first Godzilla film to receive an R rating from the MPA for a U.S. release, per Wikipedia.
How long is it? 135 minutes.
Which monsters appear? Godzilla and King Ghidorah, per Wikipedia.
What are the reviews like? 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from 43 reviews and 77 on Metacritic from 22 critics, as of this writing. Both can change as more reviews arrive.
Release dates, ratings and review figures come from the sources linked above and can change. Tracking what arrives next across movies, TV, games, music and books at incoming.to.