Godzilla Minus One's Netflix Release Sets A Historic First

"Godzilla Minus One" has finally arrived in the U.S. streaming and video-on-demand market, and it's once again breaking records. The longer-than-normal wait was due to a contractual agreement between "Godzilla" owner Toho and the MonsterVerse's Legendary Pictures, which demanded a window of exclusivity for the latest American kaiju outing, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." But now, at long last, Western viewers can enjoy Takashi Yamazaki's masterpiece in the comfort of their own homes.

"Minus One" dropped on Netflix and for digital rental on iTunes on June 1, and the film quickly achieved something never seen before — it reached the number-one spot on both platforms simultaneously. This isn't the first time that the movie has made history, either. Earlier this year, "Godzilla: Minus One" became the first film in the franchise to win an Oscar, taking home the trophy for best visual effects, which director Yamazaki oversaw personally. It seems that the great word of mouth that led to an extended theatrical run for the film hasn't died down a bit since it left cinemas. First, "Godzilla Minus One" blew up at the box office, and now it's doing the exact same thing on home video.

If you didn't get a chance to catch "Godzilla Minus One" in theaters, now is the perfect time to remedy that, especially if you're a fan of monster flicks, the kaiju genre, or great movies in general. Just make sure that you watch it in the original Japanese with subtitles, as the "Godzilla Minus One" English dub just isn't as good.

While the franchise has always been popular internationally, Japanese "Godzilla" movies have basically never experienced this much fanfare over a U.S. release. "Shin Godzilla," the previous Toho outing before "Minus One," received critical acclaim, but Yamazaki's entry in the historic kaiju franchise blew that reception out of the water. Its stunning special effects — made on a tiny budget compared to most American blockbusters — and emotional story about endurance and the human spirit quickly made it a hit with audiences. Thanks to the extra success the film has found on streaming and VoD, there's even more interest in what Toho does for its next "Godzilla" movie.

Some have expressed hope that after two solo outings in "Shin Godzilla" and "Minus One," Toho might return to the classic "vs." formula and have Godzilla face off against an enemy kaiju in his next installment. Time will tell, but for now, we can all keep watching "Godzilla Minus One" on repeat to tide us over.