Godzilla Minus One might already be a massive hit but Japanese film studio Toho is planning to make it an even bigger by releasing a black and white version of the film into cinemas around the world and they just announced a U.S. release date of January 26.
Officially titled Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, the black and white version of the film will commemorate the end of the theatrical run of the film and only be in theaters for one week. This isn’t just a re-release with the black-and-white filter turned on. Much like Mad Max: Fury Road did with its black and white release, the film has been entirely remastered in black and white, meaning lighting, tones, and coloring were carefully decided as the movie was switched over into it.
Director, writer and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki said the new look brings a realistic documentary feel to the movie that makes it and Godzilla scarier. It also, obviously, makes it look a lot more like the original Godzilla films, which were in black and white.
Godzilla Minus One was a massive surprise hit around the world, breaking U.S. box office records for a Japanese film by pulling in $51 million at U.S. box office. It’s secret was not just being a good Godzilla movie but also a great movie about war, PTSD, bravery, and humanity. It’s a refreshing film featuring a giant monster that veers away from the likes of the Monsterverse’s recent trend to go bigger and dumber. The film sadly doesn’t look like it will be winning any major awards but it is on the Oscar shortlist for Best Visual Effects, which it rightly deserves a nominations for.
Tickets for Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color are on sale now and you can see if it will be playing near you at https://tickets.godzilla.com/.
