And with a mighty roar, Godzilla proclaimed “That’s how it’s done, Hollywood.” History has always shown that no matter how popular certain trends and practices may be, everything is subject to change. With the release ofGodzilla Minus One, Toho’s firstGodzillafilm in seven years, and the struggle that many recent bloated budget blockbusters have faced, something just might be in the water. A sea change, perhaps! Despite being a mega-franchise movie with city-sized explosions and a giant monster,Minus Onehas areported budget of a measly $15 million.In a part of the world where these kinds of movies typically track for a ballpark cost of $100-$250 million, how could this possibly have been accomplished?Not only that, but the kaiju’s latest big screen outing wrapped up its theatrical run havinggrossed $115.8 millionat the worldwide box office. That’s right, we’re talking about ten times its original budget.
While it hasn’t exactly landed in the billion-dollar club, it’s impossible to deny the behemoth profit that the King of the Monsters scored. In a day and age that sees big-budget movies bombing left and right, Toho managed to swoop in and show everyone up. This film proved that you could make a massively entertaining movie with an engaging story and incredible special effects, all done on a small sum of cash, and rake a wheelbarrow full of money in at the end of the day. There are some factors that play into this, a few ideal and others much less so, that affect this whole situation,but there’s a lesson to be learned at the end of the day — large-scale movies don’t need to put a studio’s finances in jeopardy.DidGodzilla Minus Onejust school Hollywood?
Before everyone gets carried away, we have to take a step back and look at what all of this means. A movie with a $15 million budget typically falls within theconfines of dramas, comedies, or horror. You never see a project with this type of story or scope being made on this low of a budget… in North America, at least. In many other parts of the world, Japan included,labor laws are put into place that keep wages much lower, therefore lowering production costs. That makes it so that studios don’t have to spend as much money on movies likeGodzilla Minus One. Even with that being the case, $15 million is an impressively low dollar amount. At the very least, this kind of movie should cost around $80 million, and that’s if you’re being really crafty. Usually, whenfilmmakers are telling gargantuan genre stories, they cost about ten timesthat of Godzilla’s latest outing. Is the cost ofMinus Onetoo low? Are movies nowadays just too expensive? Or is there a middle ground that we can find, one that properly meets the needs of creators while also not over-inflating the situation, and still gives the film a chance to profit in a world that is growing less interested in CGI-infested action filmmaking?
Godzilla Minus One
Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Was One of 2023’s Surprise Hits
2023 was an odd year at the box office.While the industry appears to be on a downward trend of diminishing cinematic cultural phenomenons, the occasional smash hit still manages to rear its head.The Super Mario Bros.movie proved that video games could not only actually be good, but that they could absolutely wreck shop with box office earnings.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3came through as Marvel’s biggest 2023 success by a long shot,grossing $845.6 millionby the end of its run. That might be small potatoes in comparison to the heyday of superhero movies dominating our culture, but in a post-pandemic world, we have to take what we can get. Then there’s the obvious sensation of the year — the dual release ofBarbieandOppenheimerover Barbenheimer weekend. Collectively, these two pictures drummed up more than two billion dollars (theformer amassing 1.4 billionand the latterlanding just under ten figures).
So, whileMinus One’s $115 million earnings palein comparison to 2023’s “biggest hits,“there’s one glaring difference to note. Nine times out of ten, when movies end up landing over the billion dollar mark, their budgets tend to at least cost over $100 million. Making that much money on a budget of similar size means that the films don’t profit, and that’s if the title’s earnings exceed their budget. Then, there’sGodzilla Minus One.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Finally Makes Us Care About the Humans
After so many Godzilla movies, ‘Godzilla Minus One’ finally fleshes out its human characters properly.
The King of the Monsters' latest rampage isn’t just an impressively relatively low-budget kaiju fest, it actually stacks up as a killer giant monster flick.The action is Grade A, the characters are surprisingly rich, it feels every bit as big as its bloated and overly expensiveLegendary Pictures counterparts, and, more than anything, actually managed to make Godzilla scary again.Minus Onewasn’t just a theatrical hit either, it’s also doing big business afterfinallybeing made available for streaming on Netflix. Audiences have latched on to this iteration more than any other to have come out this century. It’s not in your budgeted dollar amount that you are guaranteed to reach and hook people with a big noisy spectacle, it’s with a story that you create resonance.
We shouldn’t be surprised thatMinus Onehas been greeted so enthusiastically, though.If there’s ever been a time for the world’s most famous giant monster to come back, it’s now.Kaiju movies have seen a massive uptick in recent years. The aforementioned Legendary Monsterverse pictures have consistently made tons of money,Pacific Rimwas a huge hit back in 2013, and, shoot,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesseven leans into the kaiju schtick a bit. People have spent the last decade eating this science fiction subgenre up. Aside from their colossal beats, the main thing that the previously mentioned movies have in common is that none of them have the heart or resourceful filmmaking thatGodzilla Minus Onehas.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is the Rare Example of an Action Movie Made on a Low-Budget
Thelast North AmericanGodzillamovie, 2021’sGodzilla vs Kong, reportedly cost $160 million to produce. Fast forward two-and-a-half years later, and we haveGodzilla Minus One, which cost just under ten percent of that — somewhere in the $15 million range. This isaGodzillamovie like many others. The titular figure stomps, chomps, and atomic breaths the crap out of cities, all inhis typically enormous, glorious fashion. There is a bit more of a focus on the human element than usual, so that could have something to do with part of the budget being lower, but this is largely yourmeat and potatoes Godzilla movie, and made on a pretty cheap dime. Elsewhere,Hollywood blockbusters are costing $100-250 million regularly, with tons of them bombing recently. What’s the deal?
Let’s start withGodzilla Minus One. Set in Post-War Japan, this movie features decimated cityscapes from the get-go — and no, not at the hands of Godzilla. The civilians that are featured inMinus Oneare picking up the pieces after their homes have been bombed and turned to rubble. So even thoughGodzilla barges onto land and wrecks havoc, the filmmakers already set out to design a setting that’s barely hanging on. Aside from the giant monster-isms, it’s mind-blowing to consider that they were able to build these sets basically with pocket change.
In a practical sense, the craft behindMinus Onecan’t be beat. It helps also that a large part of the story revolves around therelationships between human characters, particularly a father and daughter (played wonderfully byRyunosuke KamikiandSae Nagatani), and how both Godzilla and the bomb have affected their lives. Not only is the King of the Monster’s latest outing as thrilling and bombastic as everit’s deeply emotive as well.Having a heart at the core of your movie is the least expensive special effectthat any filmmaker can create. There’s no doubt thatMinus Oneresonates with people because of its focus on story and character. When a director and a studio prioritize the right things, it shows, and the people will come. Theyhavecome.
‘Godzilla Minus One’s Low Budget Comes at the Cost of Artists’ Livelihoods
That being said, noteverything is being properly prioritized, unfortunately. In certain parts of the world, Japan included, labor laws are put into place so that wages are kept lower as well. This makes the production less expensive to put on, but also means that artists don’t have to be paid as much. Therefore,Godzilla Minus Onecan make its money back easily, but those making the movie aren’t reaping the same benefits. This is due to there being no proper filmmaking unions in place in Japan.The Japan Timesreported a quotefrom actorKanji Furutachiexplaining the situation by saying:
“There is no functioning actors’ union in Japan, so standards for working conditions don’t exist. The result is a low-quality environment with long hours and low wages. The system here incentivizes exploitation.”
So, whileGodzilla Minus One’sadmirably low production budget is impressive, it’s devastating to note that this comes atthe expense of the artists' livelihoods. Not only that, but despite being a thrilling and uniquely sinister kaiju movie,Minus Onedoesn’t always look as great as many people say. It’s incredible for $15 million, but that praise is primarily in response to the sets and some of the shots that I’m still having a hard time figuring out. This might be nitpicking, butthere are times when Godzilla, explosions, billowing towers of smoke, and more general disaster-based side effects look incredibly computer-generated. That said, it’s hard to complain about that when you know this big of a movie only cost $15 million. There’s a chance thatMinus Onehad a fast post-production process, or maybe the artists were stretched too thin, but that’s just speculation. For the budget, the movie is kind of a visual game changer, but it does make you wonder how much better it could have looked if it just had a little more money put into it.
Hollywood Continues To Produce Expensive Box Office Bombs
Still,Godzilla Minus Onewrapped up its theatrical run having grossed ten times its production budget. Considering the recent state of things in Hollywood, executives have to be taking notes. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse here, butThe Marvelshas officially been rewarded the title of the lowest-grossing MCU movie in history,landing around $206 millionon a reported $250 million budget. The criminally underratedIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny(you read that right) somehow had aproduction budget of $300 millionand ended upfinishing its run at $383 million. Hollywood spent the 2010s writing budgetary checks for an infinite dollar amount but regularly found themselves nearing or crossing the $1 billion mark. Those days might not be completely over, but the tide is changing. Studios desperately need to find ways to make these movies cheaper, and with the creative and financial success ofMinus One, executives are probably scribbling their notepads faster than Godzilla can decimate a cityscape.
Audiences Clearly Have an Interest in Sci-Fi That Doesn’t Cost as Much as a Blockbuster
How do we solve this problem? North American film worker wages are higher than in many parts of the world, so $15 million isn’t exactly doable. Still, unless you’re making anAvatarmovie or maybe a big-ticket, ensembleAvengersmovie, movies don’t always have to be $100-$250 million, right? Well, in the fall, a big-little movie calledThe Creatorcame and went with hardly a sound. Film lovers rambled on about this immensely scaled science fiction epic, lovingly blabbering about its inventive world-building, incredible visuals, and the seamless line between its practical and CG effects. This was all done on abudget of $80 million,a wallet that gaveThe Creatorthe air of a maverick indie film. It onlyended up amassing $104 millionat the box office, but I think we’d all rather make that against $80 million, as opposed to $250 million.
How didGareth Edwardspull this off exactly? Well, his solution was easy.The Creatorwas shot on a Sony FX-3 (a camera you can purchase at Best Buy), filmed on location as often as possible, and utilized the smallest crew possible. There weren’t as many artists that had to be paid, and less CGI was utilized to create locations. So, essentially,Edwards brought his indie filmmaking sensibilities to a project that would normally attract a budget of over $150 million. Think smarter, Hollywood, not harder.
In an interview with Collider’sPerri Nemiroff,Edwards created an analogyfor how Hollywood justifies their inflated budgets by saying:
“…if you had a dollar bill, the way filmmaking works is they buy a $5 case to protect that dollar bill because they don’t want to lose the dollar, right? And now they look at it and go, ‘Oh, hang on, that’s $6. We need to buy a $10 cabinet to put this in to protect our $6 investment. Oh, wait a minute. That’s $16.’ And they basically spend more and more and more to protect it and protect it and protect it. If you just say at the very beginning, ‘You know what? We’re gonna spend one dollar. We’re not gonna protect it. If we lose it, we’ve lost a dollar and we’ll just spend another dollar doing it again.’ And that kind of was the philosophy of, let’s spend as little as possible. Let’s go out on a limb. If something fails, doesn’t work, we’ll just do it again. We’ll figure out a way around it.”
Maybe in the end, there’s no one way to solve all of this. There is, however, a lesson to be learned in each example.GodzillaMinus Oneprofited quickly because its budget was so low, but it cost as much as it did because artists' wages are so low in Japan.We can’t not pay artists! That said, we cannot continue this trend of blowing oceans of money on movies likeThe MarvelsandIndiana Jones, just for them to bomb over and over. Maybe we need to find a balance, taking aspects of the resourceful nature ofGodzilla Minus One’screativity, while also avoiding the over-spending of most mega-franchise fare.The Creatorwasn’t a box office sensation, but Gareth Edwards' head was in the right place. Finding a middle ground and giving these flashy genre pictures their proper dollar amount is key, and sticking with that dollar amount is imperative.Having limitations makes an artist’s creative intuition kick in, a part of the brain that is left inactive every time a check is written. Think smarter, Hollywood. Maybe you’ll start seeing minus one bomb here, minus one bomb there, movies will be more creative, audiences will be happy, and who knows, you might turn a profit. Thank you for all that you teach us, Godzilla.
Godzilla Minus Oneis now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
