Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla in US theaters

[lhb412]

Listings for a one night only showing of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla on November 3rd (Godzilla Day) have started appearing on various theater schedules. As they used to say; check your local listings!

As the popularity and volume of these limited engagement screenings have increased over the years I always had a suspicion, or hope, that something like this would happen!

[Benjamin Haines]

SciFi Japan has an article about it: https://www.scifijapan.com/godzilla-toho/godzilla-against-mechagodzilla-returns-to-u-s-cinemas-for-godzilla-day

The official Fathom Events website has a theater search tool: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Godzilla-Against-Mechagodzilla?date=2022-11-03

As cool as this is, it's such an odd choice for Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla to be the first G flick to get a Fathom Events release, and with extra content supplied by Toho no less. Is it just because this year is the 20th anniversary? I can't think of any other reason why they would go with GxMG.

[lhb412]

Well, I think Funi/Crunchy still has theatrical dibs on Shin and Janus is slowly acquiring more of the Godzilla (and maybe general Honda genre filns) catalog. Toho might have looked at the films they could release on their own without going through anyone else and decided from that limited group.

[Benjamin Haines]

Hmm, yeah that makes sense. Janus Films has theatrical rights to most of the Showa Series, and possibly also G'84 and Biollante if the reports out of those Alamo Drafthouse showings are true. Universal has KKvsG and Sony still has everything from MG'93 to GMK. If Toho initiated this on their own then I guess GxMG makes more sense than GvsKG, Mothra'92, Tokyo SOS or Final Wars.

Speaking of Janus/Criterion, it's awesome that they've acquired the the TV & streaming rights to The Mysterians, Varan, Matango, Atragon, Dogora, Frankenstein vs. Baragon and Space Amoeba to go along with Rodan and War of the Gargantuas. Hopefully Criterion will pursue the home video rights and put together a "sci-fi films of Ishiro Honda" box set to bookend their Godzilla set. I wonder why Latitude Zero is the only one that Media Blasters released on DVD that seems to be left out right now.

[lhb412]

Quality of the movie itself was bad, same crummy blu-ray transfer and there was a frame rate issue, but they showed the Hedorah short and the behind the scenes of said short before the future and that looked good, so I'm guessing it was just a bad copy given by Toho!

Still, I had fun and would do it again.