Godzilla finally stomps home to Japan

A scene from Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ epic action adventure Godzilla. Warner Bros. Pictures

Tokyo is rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood's Godzilla remake although the nation that gave birth to the fire-breathing monster is seeing the latest movie after it opened everywhere else.

Godzilla, which opened in the US on May 16, has grossed more than US$488 million globally.

But trepidation remains about its reception in Japan because of the intense loyalty fans feel toward the original. The film opens in Japan on July 25.

Director Gareth Edwards, present in Tokyo for the gala on Thursday, stressed he had merely parented what was the child of Japan.

“It feels like a homecoming,” said Edwards. “His home is Japan.”

Ken Watanabe, whose Godzilla role is one of several appearances in Hollywood films, acknowledged pressure was high for how the film may be received in Japan.

“It might be a challenge for Japanese to accept this movie,” he said after posing with a figure of Godzilla on the red carpet.

He said some scenes show the wreckage of a giant tsunami, evoking painful memories of the March 2011 disaster in northeastern Japan, which killed nearly 19,000 people and set off the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl.

“I have a special feeling for this film because of the disaster,” Watanabe said.