Godzilla Minus One stomps Parasite in new box office milestone

Godzilla Minus One has stomped ahead of Parasite with another box office feat as its extraordinary theatrical run draws to a close.

In 1954, Toho unleashed the iconic kaiju onto the world. After 70 years and 33 films, the studio may have reached its peak with Godzilla Minus One.

The movie, directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki, ditches the nonsense of the MonsterVerse for a story altogether more harrowing: America’s nuclear tests lead to Godzilla’s evolution, mutating into an enormous monster that has its sights (and atomic breath) set on post-war Japan.

After garnering critical acclaim in Japan, it arrived on US and international shores last December. It was met with incredible fanfare, with Toho extending its stay in cinemas far longer than expected and even producing a new black-and-white “Minus Color” edit to round out its run.

Godzilla Minus One overtakes Parasite at the box office

Godzilla Minus One is now the third-highest-grossing foreign language movie in the US. Its domestic haul stands at $55.4 million, with Parasite earning $53.3 million during its North American release.

You can check out the top 10 biggest foreign language movies in the US below:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $128 million
2. Life Is Beautiful – $57 million
3. Godzilla Minus One – $55.4 million
4. Hero – $53.7 million
5. Parasite – $53.3 million
6. Instructions Not Included – $44.4 million
7. Pan’s Labyrinth – $37.6 million
8. Amélie – $33.2 million
9. Fearless – $24.6 million
10. The Postman – $21.8 million

It has now grossed more than $103 million worldwide, and its success has given a big boost to Japan’s overall box office, rising to a post-pandemic high of $1.5 billion in 2023. Other films have played a part, such as Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron, which recently passed Pokemon the Movie 2000 to become the third-biggest anime film ever in the US.

This also comes after Minus One secured an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. However, if you’ve not seen it yet, you better be quick – it’s leaving cinemas tomorrow, February 1, and it’s unclear when it’ll come to streaming or Blu-ray.