‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ gets R rating — a first in the 72-year history of Godzilla

“Godzilla Minus Zero”, the highly anticipated sequel to “Godzilla Minus One” — the film that won the 2024 Oscar for best visual effects — has received an R rating from the MPAA. It is the first time in the 72-year history of the franchise, launched in 1954, that a Godzilla film receives this rating, as Parade reports, citing Variety’s reporting.

The news was made public at the film’s world premiere, held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the New York Film Festival (NYFF), where director Takashi Yamazaki, 62, commented on the studio’s bold decision not to censor or cut any scene.

“Logically, as a studio — and even as a director — you want as many people from the general public as possible to be able to see your film… So, an R rating might seem like a barrier to entry… Despite this, however, there were certain scenes that, for me as a director, were so essential to the film. Censoring or cutting them simply was not an option for me,” Yamazaki told Variety, as quoted by Parade.

The film arrives with high expectations: it currently holds 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, while its predecessor, “Godzilla Minus One”, not only won the Oscar but also renewed global interest in the legendary Japanese kaiju.