Godzilla Minus Zero Stars Bring Tokyo Festival to Life With Yamazaki Cheers

WHO:

The Hollywood Reporter - Director Takashi Yamazaki wrote, directed and supervised visual effects for *Godzilla Minus One* and returned to direct *Godzilla Minus Zero*.

The Hollywood Reporter - Ryunosuke Kamiki returns as Shikishima Koichi, and Minami Hamabe reprises her role in *Godzilla Minus Zero*; child actress Sae Nagatani plays the characters’ adopted daughter, Akiko.

The Hollywood Reporter - Kamiki and Hamabe introduced the Tokyo International Film Festival screenings. Kamiki said he was “excited” and “a little bit scared” as he felt anticipation for the film’s opening building. Hamabe said the first film was “beloved by fans all over the world” and the sequel needed to be “even bigger and better.”

Variety - Kamiki Ryunosuke returns as lead character Shikishima Koichi; Hamabe Minami also reprises her role.

Variety - The cast of *Godzilla Minus Zero* appeared at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival and recalled a Hollywood standing ovation and fan chants for Yamazaki Takashi.

WHAT:

The Hollywood Reporter - *Godzilla Minus Zero* played two sold-out screenings as the Tokyo festival’s “centerpiece film”; audiences included costumed kaiju fans and people carrying Gojira figurines.

The Hollywood Reporter - The second screening ended with enthusiastic applause and excited audience chatter.

The Hollywood Reporter - The sequel follows *Godzilla Minus One* (2023), which became the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in North America, earning $57.1 million, and the first Godzilla-franchise film to win an Oscar. It won best visual effects.

The Hollywood Reporter - The sequel’s plot brings King Ghidorah, a three-headed kaiju, into Yamazaki’s postwar story.

The Hollywood Reporter - *Godzilla Minus Zero* premiered at the New York Film Festival; The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney called it a “radioactive blast” and “a crackling kaiju epic every bit as exciting as its predecessor.” It had a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score from 52 reviews.

Collider - The article describes *Godzilla Minus Zero* as Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel to *Godzilla Minus One*.

WHERE:

The Hollywood Reporter - The screenings took place at Hulic Hall Tokyo; the festival audience dispersed into Tokyo’s Ginza district, where much of the film’s on-screen destruction occurs.

The Hollywood Reporter - GKIDS is distributing the film in North American cinemas.

WHEN:

The Hollywood Reporter - The story is set in 1949, two years after the events of *Godzilla Minus One*.

The Hollywood Reporter - The film’s Japan theatrical opening is listed as Nov. 3, and its North American release as Nov. 6, following Imax early-access screenings on Nov. 3.

Variety - The film was due to open in Japan two days after the festival appearance.

Collider - The article says the sequel would premiere in five days.

WHY:

The Hollywood Reporter - The Shikishima family’s peace is threatened by a new calamity as Japan struggles to rebuild after the war and Godzilla’s attack.

The Hollywood Reporter - Kamiki said Godzilla’s appearance forces the family to make “very hard decisions” while trying to protect one another.

HOW:

The Hollywood Reporter - The film depicts the family trying to put family first while confronting Godzilla; Kamiki said that family can make people stronger but also vulnerable.

(UPDATED November 2, 2026 02:59 UTC)

Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero drew sold-out crowds at Tokyo’s film festival. Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return, with Sae Nagatani joining as their adopted daughter. Set in postwar Japan, the sequel brings King Ghidorah and threatens the family’s fragile peace.