The latest Godzilla film, known as Shin Gojira in Japan or Godzilla Resurgence for anglophone audiences, has already surpassed the total theatrical gross of both of the Hollywood-made Godzilla films in Japan, and is currently the top-grossing live-action film of 2016 for the country.
It was released on July 29th, and has already earned a more than 6 billion yen, or almost £45 million.
The film is co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, an is the 31st film in the Godzilla franchise, the 29th film produced by Toho, and the third reboot from Toho. The Guinness World Records group have recognised it as the longest continuously running movie franchise, as it has technically been in on-going production from 1954 until the present day.
The monster first appeared in Ishiro Honda’s 1954 film, and has gone on to become a pop culture icon across the world. The character is commonly known as the King of Monsters, which was a phrase first used in the Americanised version of the 1954 classic.
Director Anno is best known for his Evangelion anime and movies, which have also proved hits.
The film brings a whole new Godzilla, and predictably sees the Japanese government and military scrambling to defeat the undefeatable monster over a 2-hour run time.
The film has proved so popular that it is also getting a limited release in American theatres, from October 11th to October 18th.
