Piracy Strikes: “Godzilla Minus One” Sets Unwanted Record Amid Global Demand

Japanese cinema, known as “Hoga” has been hit hard by an unwanted record.

Toho Studios’ 2023 kaiju feature, “Godzilla Minus One,” has recently become the most pirated movie in the world just days into its streaming journey.

Data from popular pirating site, TorrentFreak, reveals that the Academy Award-winning Japanese movie surpassed high-profile releases like “Dune: Part Two” and “Arcadian” in the piracy charts, just days into its availability on Amazon Prime.

Much of the blame, fans and experts say, goes to the lack of availability in overseas territories; the movie’s SVoD and Blu-Ray are exclusively released in Japan.

After winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, grossing $115 million on a $15 million budget, and seeing positive reviews, a film of its magnitude no doubt attracted hackers and desperate fans from non-Japanese markets.

Frustration and discontent with region-locked media like “Godzilla Minus One” have been widespread. A fan on X bluntly said, “If you don’t want us to pirate Godzilla Minus One, THEN LET US BUY IT”.

Despite a record year for Nigerian cinema, Nollywood has also seen its fair share of piracy in late 2023 and early 2024. Movies such as “A Tribe Called Judah,” and “Malaika” fell prey to piracy networks.

The former, Nollywood’s most successful release with N1.5 Billion in ticket sales, still experienced a 55% drop in the second week of January. Fingers pointed to pirates who were looking to capitalize on the movie’s “billion naira” success.

Toyin Abraham’s “Malaika”, also released around the same period as “A Tribe Called Judah,” saw a breakout of illegal links online that led to the arrest of five suspects by the Lagos State Police Command.

Nollywood is predicted to get only more attractive to pirates as its production’ quality, hope and investments soar.