20 years ago today director Roland Emmerich tried his hand at directing a true Hollywood adaptation of the King of Monsters, Godzilla. Titled just that, Godzilla released in theaters on May 20th, 1998 and managed to pull in just about $380 million at the box office. Compared to the film's $125 million budget, commercially the film was somewhat successful. However since its debut, the radically different take of the Kaiju God polarized Godzilla fans across the world - many of which refusing to acknowledge Emmerich's creature as a Godzilla specie at all. Even Toho themselves eradicated the then-dubbed "Zilla" from the franchise in Godzilla: Final Wars, where the true Godzilla makes short work of Zilla in a one-on-one battle.
Despite the overwhelming negativity Zilla received, many will agree that the creature's design and plot for the film overall wasn't that bad. The only real gripe fans have was that the film was titled Godzilla and was marketed and sold as a testament to the Godzilla films which came before it. Had the film been named something different, perhaps fans would have been more welcoming to Emmerich's Iguana-Kaiju.
Regardless, we're acknowledging its 20 year milestone!
What did you think of Godzilla '98? Let us know in the comments!
More to explore from the Monsterverse:
- About Godzilla x Kong: Supernova
- Godzilla x Kong: Supernova forum
- Godzilla x Kong: Supernova Image Gallery
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2
- Spin-off Godzilla series
Godzilla x Kong: Supernova will hit theaters on March 26th, 2027!
More to explore from Toho:
- Godzilla Minus One sequel now in development!