Godzilla Minus One Is Getting An Incredible Blu-Ray Release – But There's A Catch

One of the best movies of 2023 is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray release in the United States. "Godzilla Minus One" is, at long last, getting a physical release in North America. What's more, Toho has pulled out all the stops as an epic four-disc collection will be arriving this fall for fans of the King of the Monsters to bring home. That's the good news. The bad news? It's expensive and won't be widely available.

🚨🚨🚨 The wait is OVER! 🚨🚨🚨

Be one of the first in the US to own Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color on Blu-ray with the "Deluxe Japan Collector's Edition"! Only available at the Godzilla Store. https://t.co/jnFY9zJvkw pic.twitter.com/zPjfCbaQv0

— GODZILLA STORE US (@GodzillaS_US) July 9, 2024

Toho has confirmed the "Deluxe Japan Collector's Edition" of the film will be arriving in September, with pre-orders available now. The set includes a 4K and Blu-ray copy of director Takashi Yamazaki's acclaimed "Godzilla" film as well as a copy of the "Minus Color" black and white version. You can watch "Godzilla Minus One" on Netflix or VOD, but this is one that deserves the Ultra HD treatment. What's more, this set is truly impressive, well beyond a standard physical release.

This is the same version that was released in Japan earlier this year, and we've got more photos of the set for you to check out below. As for the specifics of the bad news, it costs a whopping $65, which is an awful lot for a Blu-ray. Yes, it's a four-disc set, but it's still ultimately one movie we're talking about. It's also going to be exclusive to the Godzilla store, meaning you can only order it from the franchise's official website. It won't be available on store shelves. But Best Buy stopped selling Blu-rays recently anyhow, so it's not like that's as viable as it once was. Still, it's limited in availability and pricey. 

This is also essentially the exact release from Japan, meaning it is ultimately a Japanese collector's item, not a typical U.S. release. English menus have been added and English subtitles can be selected, but the bonus features on the fourth disc are only in Japanese and do not have English subtitles. It's very important to understand what you're getting for this price. 

As an avid collector of physical media, as an avid "Godzilla" fan, and as someone who loved "Minus One" dearly, I'm personally thrilled about the release. I'll add this to my shelf and dig into these discs happily. That said, some collectors might be happy to have a more modest, standard release that costs somewhere between $20 and $30 that they could order on Amazon with free shipping. That's a reasonable expectation. In that way, this release might initially seem a little disappointing.

That said, this is just the first official physical release announced for the U.S. Let's be real about this for a second: "Minus One" is the biggest Japanese "Godzilla" movie at the box office ever. It's a widely acclaimed hit that became the first entry in this franchise's 70 year history to win an Oscar. It's more than a little likely that another physical release at a lower price point will be announced at some point. Toho is just catering to the hardcore collectors out of the gate. Everyone else might just need to exercise a little patience.

In any event, it's nice that this movie is getting a physical release at all. Increasingly, such things aren't guaranteed. Movies like "Barbarian" and "The Empty Man" still aren't available on Blu-ray. It is, at the very least, comforting that a movie this good will be available in some form for those who want it.

The "Godzilla Minus One Deluxe Japan Collector's Edition" Blu-ray is expected to arrive in September. You can pre-order a copy now at Godzilla.com, where you can also check out a full breakdown of the set's full special features disc by disc.

But wait, there's more!

Along with the Japanese collector's edition of "Godzilla Minus One," there's an official US release in four different variants that are available for pre-order right now, including a collectible Steelbook reelase:

• "Godzilla Minus One" Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
• "Godzilla Minus One" 4K (4K + Blu-ray Bonus)
• "Godzilla Minus One" Blu-Ray (Blu-ray + Blu-ray Bonus)
• "Godzilla Minus One" DVD (DVD)

The major difference between this and the Japanese collector's edition is that this won't include the black and white "Minus Color" cut of the film, with only the original color version of the film on this disc, as well as the regular bonus features previously announced.

You can pre-order the US release of "Godzilla Minus One" right now at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more.