Godzilla Minus One Becomes the Most Pirated Movie in the World

Despite having only been streaming in Japan for less than a week, Godzilla Minus One has already become the most pirated movie globally at present.

Despite Godzilla Minus One not being available for streaming in the US or other territories, devoted fans have resorted to extreme measures in order to view the award-winning film.

According to Torrent Freak, the movie has remained at the top of the piracy chart since its release on Prime Video in Japan, surpassing other recent films such as Dune: Part Two, Arcadian, and The Idea of You.

Although it was added to Amazon’s streaming service on May 1, accessing it requires a VPN. Even if you are able to bypass the platform’s geo-lock restrictions, the film does not include English subtitles or any dubbed versions. While some fans have taken the time to translate the movie and provide subtitles, they may contain inaccuracies or be slightly out of sync.

I’m very disappointed to inform you that within two days, Godzilla Minus One has become one of the most pirated movies of the year and is currently the most popular on some pirate sites. What the actual f pic.twitter.com/0L82fHbbsU

— Kaiju No. 14 (@14_kaiju) May 3, 2024

Despite the inevitable discovery of a way to download Prime Video’s copy, there is another factor that must be taken into account: the Blu-ray release of Godzilla Minus One in Japan, which happened to coincide with the movie’s arrival on streaming. This particular version would have made it even simpler to share online, leading to the significant surge of torrents in the past week.

Regrettably, for all others, there is currently no convenient (or lawful) method to view it with English subtitles, and there have been no recent developments on its availability for streaming or physical release in the US or anywhere else. Shin Godzilla was released on Blu-ray in North America four months following its release in Japan (some suggest this was to discourage Japanese viewers from importing less expensive versions of the film), so it is possible that we may have to wait until September or possibly even later.

“One user complained that if the creators do not want their product to be pirated, they should make it available for purchase. The demand for this product is high and there have been reports of download throttling due to the rush of people trying to obtain it. How much potential profit are you losing because of this issue?”

“I’m not JUSTIFYING piracy. It is important to support and pay for the content you consume. However, in the case of a highly acclaimed and widely talked about movie that is not available for months outside of its home country, some people may turn to piracy. This outcome should not come as a surprise,”another ARGUED on Twitter.

In the meantime, a user commented, “As a child, waiting 9 months to rent a movie in theaters was considered lucky. Those before my generation had to rely on re-releases or limited TV channels to watch their favorites. The notion of ‘I want it now’ is not a valid reason for resorting to piracy.”

In the interim, you can discover our current knowledge regarding the potential release of a sequel to Godzilla Minus One, as well as other upcoming films premiering in theaters.