Does Sony own the rights to Godzilla?

In 1992, Toho sold the film rights to the Godzilla series to Sony's American motion picture branch, Sony Pictures Entertainment, in order to allow them to produce an American Godzilla film. Sony designated the project to their newly-acquired subsidiary, TriStar Pictures, which began production on a film in 1994.

Is the word Godzilla copyrighted?

“Godzilla” is a trademark. And the lawyers for the trademark holders have no sense of humor about it. A sushi restaurant here tried using “Godzilla Sushi”, and got a cease-and-desist notice.

Will Toho take back Godzilla?

Toho Announces Return of Godzilla Franchise With New Film in 2023.

Why did Toho stop making Godzilla movies?

And no, the contract wasn't that Toho couldn't make Godzilla movies while the MonsterVerse was going - it's that Toho and Legendary agreed to not release live action movies the same year as each other to avoid flooding the market.

Who owns Godzilla in America?

The American company UPA contracted with Toho to distribute its monster movies of the time, and UPA continues to hold the license today for the Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s. Sony currently holds some of those rights, as well as the rights to every Godzilla film produced from 1991 onward.

How Sony spent millions to market Godzilla

Did Toho buy the rights to Zilla?

In 2004, it was featured in Toho's Godzilla: Final Wars as "Zilla". Afterwards, Toho trademarked new incarnations as Zilla, with only the iterations from the 1998 film and animated series retaining the Godzilla copyright and trademark.

Will there be another Godzilla movie in 2023?

TOHO also announced that the new film has already finished filming and will be released in Japan in exactly one year, on the next “Godzilla Day”, on November 3, 2023. This news is very exciting for Godzilla fans, ever since the first film was released in 1954 TOHO has kept the franchise alive.

Why was Godzilla 2 cancelled?

The sequel was abandoned altogether shortly afterwards, when Sony and TriStar determined it would not be profitable due to a lack of enthusiasm from critics and audiences and interest from retailers. The script's fate was sealed forever when Sony's rights to the Godzilla franchise expired in 2003.

Why did Toho hate Godzilla 1998?

Its design, story etc. this monster is not a Godzilla. Toho didn't like the movie because they called a monster Godzilla that had nothing to do with Godzilla. While the movie is embarrassing as a Godzilla movie, it's a nice movie when you watch it thinking that the monster in the movie is not Godzilla.

Does Disney own Godzilla?

Toho is the primary owner of Godzilla and all the rights of the property.

Is Gojira actually Godzilla?

Godzilla is anglicized translation of the Japanese word gojira. Gojira is actually the combination of two Japanese words: gorira, which means gorilla and kujira which means whale.

Do Warner Brothers own Godzilla?

The MonsterVerse, sometimes called the Legendary era or Legendary series by fans, is a series of giant monster films featuring Godzilla and King Kong produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. The MonsterVerse began in 2014 with Godzilla, and was followed by Kong: Skull Island in 2017.

What is the next MonsterVerse movie in 2023?

Toho, the company behind the creation of Godzilla, has announced a new film starring the King of Monsters set to release on November 3, 2023. The announcement was a part of Godzilla Day 2022, and the official Godzilla Twitter account shared a logo for the new movie. Takashi Yamazaki will direct the new Godzilla.

Why did Japan stop making Godzilla?

Godzilla movies had been declining in popularity, so Toho tried a big budget spectacle and threw in every monster along with a bunch of The Matrix style action sequences to appeal to a wider audience, but the film performed badly, so they shelved Godzilla until the success of the Legendary film brought new interest.

Why was Gojira renamed Godzilla?

Gojira (ゴジラ), the character's name in Japan, is a portmanteau of gorilla and kujira, the Japanese word for whale. (The movie studio's foreign sales department anglicized the name to Godzilla when they sold it to American distributors.)

Is Godzilla 2 a flop?

The film was a box office disappointment, grossing $386 million worldwide against a production budget between $170–200 million and marketing costs between $100–150 million.

Why Godzilla: King of the Monsters failed?

They state that KotM couldn't find success because of there being other giant monster films around to satiate that itch as a general audience goer. While there have been other films since 2014, Godzilla as a brand even in the general population carries a ton of weight (especially when it comes to giant monster films).

What is the new Godzilla movie going to be called?

What is Godzilla 2023? The untitled movie will be the 37th in the Godzilla franchise. The film will be a co-production between Japanese studios Robot Communications and the famous Toho Company, which released the original Godzilla in 1954 and still owns the rights to the character and his universe.

What is the next Godzilla movie going to be called?

Godzilla vs. Kong 2 hits theaters on March 15, 2024, and the MonsterVerse franchise is also expanding through a Netflix anime series called Skull Island and a live-action series titled Godzilla and the Titans, which will be available exclusively to Apple TV+ subscribers.

How many Godzilla movies are planned?

There are two upcoming Godzilla films currently confirmed to be in development. The first, given the working title Blockbuster Monster Movie, will be the 30th mainline entry in the series and is set for release on November 3, 2023.

What does Zilla mean in Japanese?

(And we should note that the monster is actually Gojira in the original Japanese; Godzilla is the anglicized version.) The -zilla suffix has come to indicate a particularly strong or large example of its variety.

What was Zilla mutated from?

The book also states that Zilla is a "mutated iguana monster with tuna as its regular meal."

What is Zilla's weakness?

Weaknesses. Zilla is physically very weak. Its skin can be easily pierced by missiles and artillery and it lacks the strength to tear through suspension cables or knock over buildings. Just one blast of Godzilla's atomic breath could be potentially sufficient enough to destroy Zilla.