Godzilla Minus One's streaming release plan has U.S. audiences scratching their heads as the movie still has no release date stateside.
The Japanese language kaiju epic was now one of the biggest big screen successes out of Japan in 2023. The film, which came to the U.S. in a limited December 2023 release, became the highest-earning Japanese Godzilla movie at the worldwide box office.
Minus One would also go on to shockingly win the Oscar for 'Best Visual Effects' at the 96th Academy Awards.
Months later, the movie still has no U.S. streaming date despite having come to Amazon Prime Video on May 1 in its home territory of Japan.
Why Is Godzilla Minus One Still Not Streaming?
Months after Godzilla Minus One finished its U.S. theatrical release, fans are still waiting in the wings to learn more about its streaming plan outside of Japan.
The critically acclaimed Japanese blockbuster has been one of the most in-demand movies stateside since it left theaters on February 1, yet no word on when American audiences can enjoy it again (or watch it for the first time) has been made public.
This comes as Minus One recently was released on Amazon Prime Video in Japan (read more about Godzilla Minus One's Japanese streaming release here), along with a special physical Blu-ray releasing in its home territory on the same day.
Toho Entertainment (the Japanese studio behind the Godzilla films) has not spoken about any sort of international physical or streaming release for the film, making fans nasty to know if it will ever come.
This long wait is likely due to several factors including competition in the marketplace and differences in streaming practices internationally.
The Godzilla x Kong Factor
Some have speculated the lack of updates regarding Godzilla Minus One's future outside Japan could have something to do with the recently released American Godzilla movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Rumors swirled in the lead-up to The New Empire's March 29 release date that Minus One was being pulled from theaters a month earlier so the films did not step on each other's titan-sized feet.
While that theory was never outright proven, it would make sense as Toho Entertainment was involved in both movies and could be playing a factor in Godzilla Minus One's delayed international streaming release.
What Toho could be doing is running out Godzilla x Kong's post-release plan, waiting until that movie hits streaming on Tuesday, May 14 before revealing any plans for the (what the studio may see as smaller) Godzilla Minus One.
With Godzilla x Kong now streaming on Max, and available for purchase both physically and digitally, nothing is standing in Minus One's way to cannibalize any marketing beats.
Different Streaming Strategies Internationally
The other factor to consider is the different ways international studios go about their post-theatrical strategies especially when it comes to North American streaming rights.
There is no real consistency here. Sometimes international hits are rushed to streaming as the studios behind them hope to capitalize on any sort of goodwill their titles may be garnering.
However, other times, it can take months or even years before big international films make it to streaming.
Two examples fans should look at when trying to predict when Godzilla Minus One will come to streaming in the U.S. are last year's Studio Ghibli epic (and fellow Oscar-winner) Boy and the Heron as well as Makoto Shinkai's Suzume.
Both were recent Japanese hits that were brought over to the U.S. theatrically, and both either have just made their streaming debut stateside or soon will.
Boy and the Heron, which supposedly marked the last film from master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, was released in theaters internationally (including the U.S.) on December 8, 2023.
The animated epic still has not hit streaming in the U.S. but has been announced to be coming to Max sometime this year. With a digital release for the movie coming on June 25, fans expect its Max premiere to closely follow, coming to the platform somewhere around eight or nine months after its theatrical release.
Suzume on the other hand, came to U.S. cinemas in April 2023 (after debuting in Japan in November 2022) before making its streaming debut on Netflix stateside a year later in April 2024.
Looking at both of these examples, there is a good chance Godzilla Minus One follows a similar sort of release plan, coming to streaming (likely Max) in the U.S. somewhere between nine and 12 months after it was originally released in North American theaters.
Given that timing, that would likely put the film's U.S. streaming release sometime between September and December of this year. But that is just speculation at this point.
Godzilla Minus One has no official streaming release date in the U.S.
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