With Godzilla Minus One streaming in its home territory of Japan on Amazon Prime Video, U.S. audiences can also take in the Oscar-winning blockbuster with a bit of a workaround.
The Japanese Kaiju film turned heads earlier in 2024 when it won the Academy Award for 'Best Visual Effects,' beating out Hollywood juggernauts like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Since then, American audiences have been clamoring to see the movie, which left theaters long before its jaw-dropping Oscar campaign.
How To Stream Godzilla Minus One in the U.S.
As of May 1, Godzilla Minus One is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Japan, but no U.S. release date has been revealed.
However, that does not mean American audiences cannot watch the film; it just requires a bit of work beforehand.
Stateside streaming customers can get access to the Japanese Amazon Prime Video catalog (and in turn Godzilla Minus One) with the help of a VPN (or virtual private network) as well as a Japanese Amazon Prime account.
While some may be able to stream the film, it is currently lacking any sort of English audio track or subtitles, so that could be an obstacle to some.
A VPN can be acquired through various services like NordVPN or ExpressVPN at an additional cost.
With a VPN subscription, the user only needs to choose a Japanese network and secure a connection before gaining access to not just Amazon Prime Video's international offerings, but any other streaming service the user subscribes to.
And that is one important note in all of this. Streaming Godzilla Minus One requires both an active Amazon Prime Video subscription as well as access to a VPN.
Also, Amazon Prime Video does not play nice with all VPN services, as the streamer can sometimes detect when a user is faking their location. It bears mentioning as well, that to be able to stream region-specific content on Prime Video requires a Prime account based in said region.
While not the most accessible option, this allows U.S. customers access to content offerings from around the world, and - in the case of Godzilla Minus One - stream movies/TV that may not be readily available yet in their territory.
Here is a list of several VPN services with subscription plans that should work with Amazon Prime Video:
When Will Godzilla Minus One Be Streaming in the US?
With Godzilla Minus One streaming in Japan, North American fans are going to grow even more ravenous for information on its U.S. release plan.
Still, no official streaming date has been revealed for the States.
One can assume with the movie hitting online platforms in other territories, news of a U.S. release should be soon to follow, but that is no guarantee.
The movie came to Blu-ray in Japan at the same time as its Amazon Prime Video debut, which could hint at how the movie's online release will play out in North America.
Minus One's predecessor, Shin Godzilla, came to Blu-ray in the West roughly four months after it did in Japan.
If the U.S. streaming release falls in line with its Blu-ray hitting store shelves and Toho Entertainment opts to follow similar timing between its Japanese and U.S. physical launches, then that would put the movie coming to streaming in America sometime this fall (around early-to-mid September).
But given the lack of precedent when it comes to international titles like Minus One, it can be difficult to predict.
Godzilla Minus One is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Japan.
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