Godzilla (1998 film)

Godzilla
A giant reptilian foot, against a cityscape, lit up by searchlights.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRoland Emmerich
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onGodzilla
by Toho Co., Ltd.
Produced byDean Devlin
Starring
CinematographyUeli Steiger
Edited by
  • Peter Amundson
  • David J. Siegel
Music byDavid Arnold
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • TriStar Pictures[1][2][3] (Worldwide)
  • Toho (Japan)
Release date
  • May 20, 1998 (1998-05-20) (United States)
Running time
139 minutes[4]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$125–150 million[1][5][6]
Box office$379 million[5]

Godzilla is a 1998 American monster film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. Produced by TriStar Pictures, Centropolis Entertainment, Fried Films, and Independent Pictures, and distributed by TriStar, it is a reboot of Toho Co., Ltd.'s Godzilla franchise.[7] It is also the 23rd film in the franchise and the first Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.[a] The film stars Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, and Harry Shearer. The film is dedicated to Tomoyuki Tanaka, the co-creator and producer of various Godzilla films, who died in April 1997. In the film, authorities investigate and battle a giant monster who migrates to New York City to nest its young.

In October 1992, TriStar announced plans to produce a trilogy of Godzilla films. In May 1993, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were hired to write the script. In July 1994, Jan de Bont was announced as the director but left the project that December due to budget disputes. Emmerich was hired in May 1996 to direct and co-write a new script with producer Dean Devlin. Principal photography began in May 1997 and ended in September 1997.

Godzilla was theatrically released on May 20, 1998, to negative reviews and grossed $379 million worldwide against a production budget between $130–150 million and marketing costs of $80 million, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1998. Despite turning a profit, it was considered a box office disappointment.[11][12] Planned sequels were cancelled and an animated series was produced instead. TriStar let their remake/sequel rights expire on May 20, 2003. In 2004, Toho began trademarking new iterations of TriStar's Godzilla as "Zilla", with only the incarnations from the 1998 film and animated show retaining the Godzilla copyright/trademark.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Godzilla (1998) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Godzilla (1998)". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  3. ^ Stephen Holden (May 19, 1998). "Film Review; So, How Big Is It Again? Sizing Up the Lizard King". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Caro, Mark (May 20, 1998). "If Size Matters, 'Godzilla' Is Really A Monster". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Godzilla (1998)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Lichtenfeld 2007, p. 218.
  7. ^ Saperstein, Pat (May 6, 2014). "60 Years of Godzilla: Highlights From Monster's 29-Film Career". Variety. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 25.
  9. ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
  10. ^ Kalat 2010, p. 84.
  11. ^ Sterngold, James (May 26, 1998). "'Godzilla' Roars in But Fails To Devour". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  12. ^ DeWolf, Rose (June 12, 1998). "It's Big, All Right – A Big Flop 'Godzilla' Takes A Stomping at the Box Office And in the Stores". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference p4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Schaefer, Mark (November 2004). "Godzilla Stomps into Los Angeles". Penny Blood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.


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