Mention kaiju, and chances are that Godzilla will be named. The pop culture icon, spawned from post-World War II fears of nuclear destruction, has enjoyed decades of longevity, with a wealth of merchandise, spin-offs, media projects, brand collaborations, and more in its inventory.
But that’s only half the job done. While the King of Monsters has become a household name, Toho, the media company that brought it to life on the big screen, doesn’t have as much of an international presence, and plans are already in place to further leave a bigger footprint on the global stage.
In an interview with Bloomberg, chief executive officer Hiroyasu Matsuoka highlighted the importance of “see[ing] opportunities outside of Japan” for Toho to grow. For Godzilla, this includes a sequel to the highly acclaimed Godzilla Minus One, currently eyed for a release as soon as next year, a potential follow-up to 2016’s Shin Godzilla, a still-untitled Southeast Asia-focused project, and co-production on the second season of Legendary’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters for Apple TV+.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One is arguably the most fruitful of its recent expansion efforts. Not only was it the first non-English language film to win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, it also earned the biggest IMAX opening in Japan and is the first entry in the long-running franchise to score an Oscar nod for the category — all that, against a reported budget of US$15 million.
Joining the kaiju as a bright spot are anime properties, with plans to create new titles and roll out additional seasons of popular titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia. There’s a chance that anime may eventually end up being more of a hit than Godzilla, but it’s a win-win situation for Toho either way, as it gears up to quadruple its content sales in overseas markets by 2033 for its 101st anniversary.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
