Godzilla Minus One Black And White US Release Date Announced

Godzilla Minus One bw key visual

Last month, it was revealed that the smash hit Godzilla Minus One was getting a black and white screening in Japan, with a special remaster that emulates the classic 1950s Godzilla films. At the time it was thought to be Japan-only, but it looks like the special screening is coming to the West.

The official Twitter account for Toho’s Godzilla films announced that the black and white screening of the film, Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, is coming to theaters in North America soon. The film is set to run in theaters for just one week, and will start rolling out from January 26, 2024.

Godzilla Minus One has been setting records since its opening weekend in the US, having become the highest-grossing live-action foreign film in over 20 years, and the highest-grossing live-action Japanese language film ever. It’s continued to break records since, earning $50 million in the US – the highest-grossing Japanese language film ever in the US, live-action or otherwise – and has reportedly made more than $100 million worldwide.

The film received near-universal acclaim from critics and fans alike, having a critic score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and a weighted score of 80/100 on review score aggregation site Metacritic. It was praised for its soulful human storytelling, strong political messaging, and stunning action scenes.

It was an especially impressive feat given the film’s low budget, which was rumored to be just $15 million, a figure that was disputed by the film’s director, Takashi Yamazaki, who said he “wishes” the film had such a high budget.

The black and white version of Godzilla Minus One was properly remastered for its monochrome outing, with adjustments made across the board to make it look “as if it had been taken by the masters of black and white photography,” according to Yamazaki.