Godzilla Minus Zero's Rating Officially Sets A Franchise Record After 72 Years

Sep 23, 2026 - 07:10

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Godzilla Minus Zero's Rating Officially Sets A Franchise Record After 72 Years

Godzilla roaring in the middle of a destructive storm in Godzilla Minus Zero

Published Sep 22, 2026, 10:19 PM EDT

Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.

Ahead of its release, Godzilla Minus Zero has already broken a 72-year-old franchise record.

The upcoming movie is a sequel to Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One, which is widely considered to be one of the all-time great Godzilla movies. Yamazaki returned to direct and write the sequel, which will be released theatrically in Japan on November 3 and in the United States on November 6. The new story is set in 1949, two years after the events of the prior film, and continues to follow both the titular kaiju and the Shikishima family in post-World War II Japan.

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The original 1954 Godzilla film was directed by a visionary Japanese filmmaker and served as an allegory for the horrors of nuclear weapons. Who directed the original Godzilla?

AAkira Kurosawa BIshiro Honda CHayao Miyazaki DTakashi Shimura

✓ Correct! Ishiro Honda directed the original 1954 Gojira. The film was a direct response to the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident and nuclear testing in the Pacific. Akira Kurosawa was Honda’s close friend but directed samurai films, and Takashi Shimura was actually an actor in the film.

✗ Destroyed! The answer is Ishiro Honda. Kurosawa directed Seven Samurai, Miyazaki is the anime legend behind Studio Ghibli, and Shimura was an actor who appeared in the original film. Honda’s vision turned nuclear fear into cinema’s greatest monster.

In the Showa era films, Godzilla frequently battles a three-headed golden dragon from outer space who becomes his most iconic rival. What is this monster’s name?

AMechagodzilla BMothra CKing Ghidorah DRodan

✓ Correct! King Ghidorah, the three-headed golden dragon, first appeared in 1964’s “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.” He’s Godzilla’s ultimate arch-nemesis, appearing in more films than any other Godzilla villain.

✗ Destroyed! Mechagodzilla is a robotic duplicate, Mothra is generally an ally, and Rodan is a giant pteranodon who sometimes fights alongside Godzilla. King Ghidorah is the iconic golden three-headed dragon.

Godzilla’s signature attack is a powerful beam of concentrated radiation that he fires from his mouth. What is this iconic weapon commonly called?

APlasma Beam BNuclear Pulse CAtomic Breath DRadiation Ray

✓ Correct! The Atomic Breath (or “heat ray” in Japanese) is Godzilla’s signature weapon, powered by the nuclear energy in his body. The blue beam has been a defining visual element since the original 1954 film.

✗ Destroyed! The answer is Atomic Breath. While “Nuclear Pulse” is a separate Godzilla ability (a shockwave from his body), his signature mouth beam is universally known as the Atomic Breath.

In the 1995 film “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah,” Godzilla’s nuclear heart goes into meltdown, turning him a glowing red-orange. This version of Godzilla has what popular fan nickname?

AShin Godzilla BBurning Godzilla CMecha Godzilla DFinal Godzilla

✓ Correct! Burning Godzilla first appeared in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), glowing red-orange as his nuclear reactor heart goes critical. This form returned in the MonsterVerse in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

✗ Destroyed! Shin Godzilla is the 2016 Japanese reboot, Mechagodzilla is the robotic version, and “Final Godzilla” isn’t a recognized form. Burning Godzilla specifically refers to the meltdown state.

One of Godzilla’s most beloved allies is a giant divine moth who is often accompanied by tiny twin fairies called the Shobijin. Who is this kaiju?

ARodan BAnguirus CMothra DBattra

✓ Correct! Mothra, the Queen of the Monsters, first appeared in her own 1961 film before becoming one of Godzilla’s most reliable allies. The Shobijin (tiny twin fairies) serve as her priestesses and communicate her intentions to humanity.

✗ Destroyed! Rodan is a pteranodon, Anguirus is Godzilla’s first opponent (and later ally), and Battra is Mothra’s dark counterpart. Mothra is the divine moth accompanied by the twin Shobijin fairies.

Shin Godzilla (2016), directed by Hideaki Anno, was a critical and commercial hit in Japan. The film reimagined Godzilla as a metaphor for which real-life disaster?

AThe Kobe earthquake BThe 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster CTyphoon Hagibis DThe Tokyo firebombings

✓ Correct! Shin Godzilla was explicitly created as an allegory for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Japanese government’s response. Director Hideaki Anno (of Evangelion fame) used Godzilla to critique bureaucratic paralysis during crisis.

✗ Destroyed! The answer is the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. While the original 1954 film was a nuclear weapons allegory, Shin Godzilla specifically parallels the Fukushima crisis and the government’s slow response.

In the Legendary MonsterVerse films, the ancient organization that monitors and studies giant monsters is named after a real-life secret project. What is this organization called?

ASHIELD BMonarch CApex DMUTO

✓ Correct! Monarch is the secret scientific organization dedicated to studying Titans (massive ancient creatures). Named to evoke secrecy and authority, Monarch has appeared in every MonsterVerse film since Godzilla (2014).

✗ Destroyed! SHIELD is Marvel’s organization, Apex is the villainous corporation from Godzilla vs. Kong, and MUTO stands for “Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism” — a monster species, not an organization. Monarch is the answer.

In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), Godzilla and Kong team up against a new threat from Hollow Earth. What is the name of the tyrannical ape villain they face?

AMechagodzilla BCamazotz CSkar King DTiamat

✓ Correct! Skar King is a tyrannical great ape from Hollow Earth who enslaves other apes and wields a weapon made from a Titan’s spine. He also controls Shimo, an ancient ice-breathing Titan. His threat is so great that Godzilla and Kong must team up to stop him.

✗ Destroyed! Mechagodzilla was the villain of Godzilla vs. Kong, Camazotz appeared in the graphic novels, and Tiamat is a sea serpent Titan. Skar King is the new ape tyrant from Hollow Earth.

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According to Film Ratings, Godzilla Minus Zero has received an R rating. This makes it the first movie in the 72-year history of the Godzilla franchise to be rated R. By comparison, Godzilla Minus One was rated PG-13, as were the Monsterverse movies Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Since the MPA ratings system did not start until 1968, the original Godzilla movie, released in 1954, does not have a rating. Some of the Godzilla movies that came after the MPA ratings system was established, such as Destroy All Monsters, were rated G, while others, like 2004's Godzilla vs. Hedorah, were rated PG.

As noted in ScreenRant's Godzilla Minus One review, the eponymous monster's "design brings about an equal amount of horror and curiosity" and "the film also reminds us of how terrifying Godzilla is, a component that has been lacking in recent films." With this being the case in a movie rated PG-13, the horror and making the kaiju feel terrifying are poised to be further heightened, to the extent of needing an R rating this time around.

This record-setting rating further distinguishes these films from the franchise's predecessors. It also sets the expectation for this not only being more violent and intense than Godzilla Minus One, but all the Monsterverse films as well. The Monsterverse leans more toward science-fiction spectacle whereas Yamazaki's movies deliver a more grounded horror, with the human characters being just as integral to making this work as Godzilla himself, which is another way it earned acclaim and managed to stand out from many other entries in the franchise's history.

The Godzilla Minus Zero cast features Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima, Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima, Yuki Yamada as Shirō Mizushima, Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu, Jun Kunimura as Dr. Ogata, Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta, Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ōta, Masami Nagasawa as Makoto Aoyama, Min Tanaka as Kanji Murakami, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, and Sae Nagatani as Akiko.

Godzilla Minus Zero releases in U.S. theaters on November 6.