The Worst-Rated Godzilla Movie Resurfaces as a Free Streaming Hit 28 Years Later

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Despite being heavily criticized when it was released, the 1998 film Godzilla is now surprisingly popular on the streaming service Tubi. According to FlixPatrol, it’s currently ranked as one of the top ten most-watched programs on the platform in the United States.

Okay, so The Equalizer 2 is still hanging tough at number one, which isn’t a huge surprise. But I was really glad to see Godzilla sticking around – it just hit the charts and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast. Honestly, this week’s list was all about monsters! Prey, the Predator prequel, came in at a strong second, and even Aaron Eckhart’s I, Frankenstein managed to snag tenth place. It was a good week for creature features, that’s for sure!

The 1998 film Godzilla, directed by Roland Emmerich and co-written with Dean Devlin, reimagines the classic monster story. Set in New York City, the film centers on Dr. Niko “Nick” Tatopoulos (played by Matthew Broderick), a scientist with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who discovers evidence of Godzilla’s existence before the creature even reaches the city.

The film also stars a talented cast including Hank Azaria, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Kevin Dunn, Harry Shearer, Richard Gant, and Nancy Cartwright, alongside Broderick. Frank Welker provided the iconic roar and sounds for Godzilla, while Kurt Carley physically performed as Godzilla in the suit on set.

The 1998 Godzilla movie was heavily criticized when it came out, both by professional reviewers and dedicated fans of the series. Currently, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a low score of just 20% from critics and 28% from general audiences. Out of the 38 Godzilla films released so far, the 1998 version has the lowest critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite the challenges, Godzilla was a box office success, earning over $379 million with a production budget of about $150 million. This meant the film covered its costs and began to turn a profit.

What’s Next for Godzilla on the Silver Screen?

Fans are excited for the upcoming movie Godzilla Minus Zero, the next installment from writer-director Takashi Yamazaki following the 2023 hit Godzilla Minus One. In February 2025, Yamazaki discussed artificial intelligence, stating that while it’s a helpful tool, it isn’t yet capable of replacing human creativity. He believes it can assist, but not take the lead in generating content.

We aren’t using AI in our current projects for now, but the technology is developing so quickly it’s hard to predict what will happen in the future. I personally still prefer shooting on film and using practical effects like miniatures. I know we’ll eventually need to incorporate AI into our work, but I’ll likely be slow to adopt it, as I enjoy traditional filmmaking methods.

Early in January, the release date for Godzilla Minus One was announced. Fans now have less than a year to wait for the film to hit theaters. It will premiere in Japan on November 3rd, and audiences in North America can see it just a few days later, on November 6th.

The popular MonsterVerse franchise is still going strong. A new series will be available on Apple TV in late February, and the movie Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 25, 2027.

Godzilla (1998) is currently available for streaming on Tubi.

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2026-01-20 04:09