Amsterdam-based Piece Of Magic Entertainment (POM) has secured European distribution rights to monster feature Godzilla Minus One from Japanese studio Toho and will release theatrically from December 1.
POM have acquired rights to the film in 38 territories including France, Italy, Spain, Benelux, the Nordics, and Poland. It will be exhibited in Imax and 4DX in select territories. The deal does not include the UK and Ireland, where distribution will be handled by Anime Ltd, or German-speaking territories.
The latest in Toho Studios’ iconic monster franchise received its world premiere in Japan on October 18 and has been set as the closing title of the Tokyo International Film Festival on Wednesday (November 1), two days ahead of its local theatrical release on November 3. Toho International will release in the US and Canada from December 1.
Directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki, it marks the first Japanese-made Godzilla film since 2016 and coincides with the 70th anniversary of the franchise. The story takes place in Japan shortly after the Second World War, when an appearance by Godzilla forces the country’s devastated people to fight back.
The cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki.
Director Yamazaki, who also oversaw the visual effects of the film, is known for CG animation Lupin III: The First and was invited by Toho to make a Godzilla film after the release of historical feature The Great War Of Archimedes in 2019.
Godzilla has featured in 33 Japanese films distributed by Toho and five US features. Toho’s previous film to feature the iconic character was Shin Godzilla, which grossed $78m worldwide in 2016.
POM is increasingly making moves into Japan, having launched POM Anime in June with animated box office hit The First Slam Dunk, which it released in 35 territories across Europe. The division will initially look to release four-to-six anime feature films per year. It had previously distributed major anime titles such as Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and One-Piece Film: Red.
The company’s main distribution operations include documentaries, live videogaming, and concert films, having scored repeated success with the concert films of Dutch violinist Andre Rieu.
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