Godzilla Minus One is currently playing in theaters, with limited screens in the US, so when could it start streaming online?
Receiving a theatrical release in North America in December, the Toho-distributed Godzilla Minus One is a Japanese kaiju film directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki.
Existing outside of the ongoing MonsterVerse under Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., Godzilla Minus One is set in postwar Japan between 1945 and 1947.
Yamazaki's exploration of unprecedented despair in post-apocalyptic Japan positions Godzilla as the embodiment of fear, creating a narrative that layers anguish upon pain for an immersive and terrifying theatrical experience.
When Will Godzilla Minus One Be Available Online?
Amazon Prime Video in Japan indicated that Godzilla Minus One will eventually be available to buy or purchase on its website.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the official account promoted watching some of the recent American-made MonsterVerse films, followed by marketing for Godzilla Minus One's theatrical release (translated to English).
Now that it's confirmed that the project will eventually head to Amazon, it will almost certainly also debut on other digital media outlets like Vudu and Apple iTunes.
One indication of when Godzilla Minus One could move to digital is looking at other live-action Toho-distributed films like Shin Ultraman, which was released in theaters (in Japan) on May 13, 2022.
Later, it premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Japan on November 18, 2022, followed by physical media on April 12, 2023. It was made available in the United States on July 4, and on July 11, 2023, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Following a similar timeline, Godzilla Minus One wouldn't be available to watch at home in the US until late December 2024.
However, the key difference is that Godzilla Minus One received a 2,300-theater opening weekend in the US and Canada on December 1.
This would presumably also push North America's digital release date forward, possibly to June 2024, about 190 days after opening in theaters.
Will Godzilla Minus One Stream Online?
2016's Shin Godzilla was the 31st installment in the Godzilla franchise, and the third reboot by Toho Pictures, marking the beginning of the Reiwa era in the franchise. Minus One is the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era.
Shin Godzilla is only available to stream on Crunchyroll, a service that mainly houses Japanese anime.
So, while Godzilla Minus One will be available to buy or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and probably others, there's no guarantee it will come to the streaming service for no additional fee.
Fans can possibly expect it to eventually be available at no extra cost with a Crunchyroll subscription, but it's not certain.
An unpredictable possibility is for a streaming service like Prime Video, Netflix, Max, or others to purchase the streaming rights to the film after gaining real attention in the US.
Its $11 million domestic debut came as a surprise to many, becoming the third-highest-earning film of the weekend.
Godzilla Minus One is now roaring in theaters.
