Books, Arts & Manners: Bayzilla

IT’S official: Godzilla is a box-office disappointment. The critics hate it, which was to be expected. But what killed the beast was terrible word of mouth. Even lifelong Godzilla fans like myself are baffled by the fact that the producers of Independence Day could fail with $150 million where a bunch of Japanese guys with a rubber suit and some toy tanks succeeded.

Nevertheless. Here’s a prediction: this movie about a big green monster will prove to be a major international hit, for reasons not unrelated to its lackluster American performance.

About the Author

Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is a National Review contributing editor.

Featured Tags

IT’S official: Godzilla is a box-office disappointment. The critics hate it, which was to be expected. But what killed the beast was terrible word of mouth. Even lifelong Godzilla fans like myself are baffled by the fact that the producers of Independence Day could fail with $150 million where a bunch of Japanese guys with a rubber suit and some toy tanks succeeded.

Nevertheless. Here’s a prediction: this movie about a big green monster will prove to be a major international hit, for reasons not unrelated to its lackluster American performance.