Despite having a low budget and no foreign crew, this picture achieved greater visual effects than Adipurush, Brahmastra, Marvel, and DC, winning

The budgets of some of the greatest blockbusters have surpassed the earnings of large organizations as movies have become larger and bigger over time. Large-scale film expenses have often gone into the visual effects, or VFX. It is surprising in this context when a low-budget movie surpasses the major players in terms of scope and special effects. That is precisely what made history in 2023 with a single Japanese blockbuster.

The world’s greatest visual effects in a film with a mere Rs 80 crore budget

Godzilla The 2023 release of Minus One, a Japanese kaiju movie, led to its global success as a surprise blockbuster. For a movie of this size, the anticipated expenditure for the production was $10–12 million (about Rs 80–100 crore). By contrast, the budget of the Hollywood production Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is more than $200 million (about Rs. 1650 crore). Nonetheless, the movie’s visual effects received widespread recognition. The movie defeated Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. Viewers even likened the visual effects of Indi to those in Brahmastra and Adipurush, which both had budgets four to seven times more than Godzilla’s, but lacked the visual impact of the former. The unique thing about the visual effects crew for Minus One was that there were no international professionals on it; all of the talent was indigenous to Japan.

The incredible run Godzilla Minus One had at the box office

The movie, which was produced by Toho Studios, was written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who was also in charge of its special effects. In Godzilla Minus One, the world first encounters the Godzilla kaiju in postwar Japan. The movie was well-received by reviewers and audiences when it debuted in November and quickly shattered box office records. At $107 million (about Rs 875 crore), it became the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla movie in history. It even won praise. In addition to the Oscar, it took home two and eight prizes at the 17th Asian Film Awards and the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize.