In an historic moment, the Japanese monster movie “Godzilla Minus One” scored a major upset win for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night.
Beating out heavyweight Hollywood contenders like “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” it marked the first time ever that a Godzilla film has won an Oscar in the franchise’s 70-year history.
Accepting the award on behalf of the film’s visual effects team, director Takashi Yamazaki admitted that even receiving a nomination had seemed “out of reach” given their distance from Hollywood. “But here we stand,” he said proudly on the Dolby Theatre stage.
Made on a modest $15 million budget, “Godzilla Minus One” wowed audiences and critics alike with its inventive creature designs and seamless 610 visual effects shots integrating the iconic monster into real-world environments. It was a true David vs. Goliath triumph for Yamazaki and his team of just 35 VFX artists.
The win capped a weekend of honors for the Japanese blockbuster, which also took home eight prizes at the country’s equivalent of the Oscars. It is now officially the highest-grossing Godzilla movie in history, earning over $105 million globally.
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By breaking the unlucky streak of zero Oscar wins for the Godzilla series across seven decades, “Godzilla Minus One” has cemented its place as a landmark achievement. Its historic first Oscar for the long-running franchise also represents a major step towards international recognition of Japanese cinema on Hollywood’s biggest stage.
