Japan's most famous monster thundered into CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 14 as theatre-owners got their first look at Godzilla Minus Zero, which sees the creature rampage through New York.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the offering from Japan's Toho studio is a sequel to 2023's Godzilla Minus One, which became an international sensation with a box office haul of US$116mil as it bagged an Oscar for visual effects.
Yamazaki told cinema-owners that "the immense scale and terror of Godzilla, as well as the human struggle to survive ... (is) going to push your screens and your audiences to their limits."
The film – which hits US theatres on Nov 6 and stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe – is set in 1949, two years after the events of Minus One.
It picks up the story of the Shikishima family as they face an even tougher challenge.
"Japan was driven down to minus by Godzilla's attack," Yamazaki said.
"People struggled to rise again and move toward the future. The journey from minus to zero will not be easy."
Yamazaki, who also wrote the screenplay, offered a behind-the-scenes look at the production, along with clips featuring scenes of destruction and the arrival of the imposing monster in New York.
The Japanese director said Godzilla was at home on the big screen.
"Godzilla was born in movie theatres in Japan in 1954 and for over 70 years, its legacy has been deeply and powerfully tied to the theatrical experience – the overwhelming scale seen on the giant screen and that roar that shakes your seats.
"Godzilla becomes Godzilla when experienced in the theatre." – AFP
