It has already been an amazing year forGodzilla. The fan-favorite cinematic monster is coming off its first Oscar win in franchise history forGodzilla Minus One. If that wasn’t enough,2024 marks the iconic kuji’s 70th anniversary. One of the ways the franchise is celebrating is with the release of the latestGodzillaadventure,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. That epic crossover comes out in just one week. However, the party won’t end there as the Music Box Theatre in Chicago is hosting a 24-hourGodzillamarathon in June as a part of an almost week-long event.
From June 7 to July 28, 2025, the Music Box Theatre has partnered with the Japanese Art Foundation to host a slew of events in honor of Godzilla’s historic reign. Opening night (June 7) will be a double feature of the last two Toho Godzilla films,Shin GodzillaandGodzilla Minus One. This is followed by a panel discussion entitled “Godzilla: The Atomic Age Anti-Hero” led bySaira Chambersof the Japanese Culture Center/Japanese Arts Foundation and Dr.Yuki Miyamotoof DePaul Humanities Center. June 8 is when the 24-hourGodzillamarathon will be taking place. This will feature 15 films from the character’s Showa-era. Then, June 9, a rare I.B. Technicolor 35mm print screening of theunderratedGodzilla(1998)starring Matthew Broderick will be shown. Other screenings that will be shown throughout this monstrous event will include the originalGodzillafrom 1954,The Return of Godzilla, andGodzilla vs Biollante.
Godzilla Remains the King of the Monsters
In the last 70 years, Godzilla has been featured in38 filmsspread across both the original Toho Japanese series and the recent Legendary American MonsterVerse. However, in the last year it has felt like this atomic monster has finally entered the prime they always deserved.Godzilla Minus Onewas not only one of the best films of the franchise with rich characters and brilliantaction, it broke a ton ofbox office records. The latter of which has surely cemented the lovable creature’s massive footprints in American cinemas for at least the next decade. Grossing over $100 million worldwide, it kicked off our currentGodzilla-Mania and, again, made the franchise anOscar winner for the first time. Around the same time, in late 2023,Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the first live-action TV series in the franchise, premiered on Apple TV+ to much critical success. While it only featured brief appearances from the monster of the hour, it furthered the MonsterVerse in some exciting ways leading intoNew Empire’s release this month. In the new film, Godzilla must reluctantly team up with Kong to stop a larger threat. Recently,New Empire’s director(Adam Wingard) andMinus One’s director (Takashi Yamazaki)united to promote their shared love for Godzilla. Both sides of the franchise are working together to makeGodzilla’s historic birthday the best it can be, and it’s been a joy to watch for life-long fans.
You can grab your Music Box TheatreGodzillabirthday tickets, including ones for the killer 24-hour marathon, and find more information on the event on theirwebsite.Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis also smashing into theaters on June 13, 2025. You can view trailers forGodzilla x Kong: TheNew Empirebelow.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Kong and the fearsome Godzilla face off against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own.
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