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The sequel “Godzilla Minus Zero” played to two sold-out audiences at the Tokyo International Film Festival on Sunday, days before its commercial release in Japan on Nov. 3.
Organizers programmed the film by director Takashi Yamazaki as the festival’s centerpiece. Both screenings took place at Hulic Hall Tokyo in Ginza, a central Tokyo district of department stores and theaters. Ginza is also where much of the film’s on-screen destruction is set, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Many attendees wore monster costumes or carried Godzilla figurines into the theater, the outlet reported. It said applause after the second screening was unusually loud for a typically reserved festival crowd.
The new film is set in 1949, two years after the events of its predecessor, as Japan rebuilds after the war and Godzilla’s attack. A new threat endangers the Shikishima family, and the franchise’s three-headed monster King Ghidorah enters the story.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” premiered in September at the New York Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter’s chief critic, David Rooney, wrote a favorable review that called it a “radioactive blast.” The film holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 52 reviews, the outlet said.
Lead actors Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe introduced the screenings. Kamiki said he felt excited and “a little bit scared” with the release approaching. Hamabe said the first film’s worldwide following meant the sequel had to be bigger, adding, “I’m just curious to see how people will receive it.”
Child actress Sae Nagatani, who plays the couple’s adopted daughter, Akiko, joined them on stage. Kamiki described the central tension facing the Shikishima family.
“Having a family usually makes us stronger, but it can also make us vulnerable,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He said the family’s effort to put its members first leads to hard decisions once Godzilla appears. Hamabe said she hoped audiences would enjoy the family’s story as well as the Godzilla experience.
European distributor Piece of Magic Entertainment is releasing “Godzilla Minus Zero” in 46 markets across Europe and beyond, including Türkiye, Spain, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands, according to a July announcement. Releases start Nov. 4, with the main rollout on Nov. 5 and 6.
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