FLOWER MOUND, Texas — Godzilla, King of the Monsters, has taken over North America. The limited theatrical engagement of “Shin Godzilla” was scheduled to close Oct. 18, but in the wake of overwhelming fan response, Funimation Films announced that the movie will be extended due to popular demand.
A special matinee screening of the film will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, in more than 200 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. In addition, multiple national theater chains will be offering daily screenings of “Shin Godzilla” in select locations through Oct. 27. A complete list of locations for both this Saturday’s matinee as well as the new daily screenings is available via a theater locator on the official film website.
“We’re thrilled with the tremendous response to ‘Shin Godzilla’ from the press, audiences and our theatrical partners,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and president of Funimation. “Fans have been asking and we’re pleased to confirm that the movie will extend its run with this Saturday’s matinee as well as more than a week of daily screening.”
“Shin Godzilla” hit the $1 million mark at the box office in its first three days and has grossed more than $1.5 million since opening on Oct. 11. It is the 29th film produced by Toho Co. Ltd. in the iconic science fiction monster franchise, which began in 1954, and is co-directed by Hideaki Anno (creator of “Evangelion”) and Shinji Higuchi (director of Toho’s 2015 “Attack on Titan” live-action movies).
The cast includes Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara from “Attack on Titan” (Parts 1 and 2) and Yutaka Takenouchi from “Reisei to Jounetsu no Aida” (Between Calmness and Passion).
It’s a peaceful day in Tokyo when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different — something alive.
His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower.
But time is not on their side — the greatest catastrophe ever to befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
“We were confident that ‘Shin Godzilla’ would be a hit with audiences and we’re excited to extend its theatrical run to keep up with fan demand,” said Mike DuBoise, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Funimation. “If you haven’t seen ‘Shin Godzilla’ yet or want to catch an encore before it leaves theaters, now is the time.”
The 120-minute film is presented in Japanese with English subtitles. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit http://funimationfilms.com/shingodzilla.