“Godzilla Minus Zero” arrived at the New York Film Festival with a franchise first — and director Takashi Yamazaki has no regrets about it.

The sequel to 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One” has earned an R rating for “violent content/bloody images,” making it the first R-rated installment in the 72-year-old franchise. Ahead of the film’s debut later this year, Yamazaki said preserving the material that led to the restrictive rating was “essential to the film.”

“Logically, as a studio — and even as a director — you want as many people from the general public to be able to see your film,” Yamazaki said at the Saturday afternoon premiere. “So, an R-rating might seem like a barrier to entry, and conversations about, ‘Hey, could we have not gotten this down to PG-13?’ of course are going to happen.”

But the filmmaker, who returned to direct after the success of “Godzilla Minus One,” was unwilling to remove key moments simply to secure a less restrictive classification.

“In spite of that, though, there were certain scenes that, for me as a director, were so essential to the film,” he said. “Censoring it or cutting it was just not an option for me.”

A thunderous New York premiere

“Godzilla Minus Zero” received an enthusiastic welcome during its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall. Following rave reactions from press screenings earlier in the day, the festival audience broke into applause multiple times during the movie’s monster action.

New York Film Festival director Dennis Lim acknowledged that the Godzilla franchise might not appear to be an obvious selection for a major film festival.

“We thought it was about time to bring a giant monster movie here,” Lim told the audience.

Yamazaki was greeted with thunderous applause when he took the stage both before and after the screening. With the audience becoming the first public crowd to see the sequel, he also issued a direct plea concerning its numerous surprises.

“You are the first to see this film,” Yamazaki said. “There are a lot of ‘Godzilla’ fans around the world, so let’s work together and do not do any spoilers. No spoilers, please! I am trusting all of you guys.”

Why the R rating may not be the obstacle it once was

Under MPA guidelines, moviegoers under 17 cannot attend an R-rated film unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. That restriction has traditionally made the classification less attractive to studios releasing expensive movies intended to reach broad audiences.

However, several major box-office performers have challenged the rating’s old commercial stigma. “Deadpool” earned $782 million in 2016, while 2019’s “Joker” became the first R-rated movie to pass $1 billion, finishing with $1.07 billion.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” later reached $1.33 billion in 2024. The record was subsequently surpassed by 2026’s “The Odyssey,” which earned $1.72 billion and currently ranks as the 17th highest-grossing film worldwide.

Yamazaki believes the meaning audiences attach to an R rating has evolved, with the classification potentially creating anticipation rather than merely limiting admission.

“I think the R-rating, at one point, carried almost a negative connotation,” he said. “In more modern films, it actually creates a sort of expectation and excitement of, ‘Okay, well, they’re not censoring anything. The director and the cast’s voice is there, as is.’”

He added that the box-office results of earlier R-rated releases were encouraging for the new movie. “Hopefully, we can continue that trend with ‘Godzilla Minus Zero.’”

A sequel Yamazaki never expected to make

Despite returning for “Godzilla Minus Zero,” Yamazaki told the festival crowd that he had not initially intended to make a sequel to “Godzilla Minus One.” Toho executives began asking him about a follow-up after seeing the first cut of the 2023 film, and the prospect immediately made him nervous.

His position shifted only after “Godzilla Minus One” opened in theaters and received celebrations from audiences around the world. At that point, Yamazaki began to view another movie as a viable possibility.

After seeing the New York audience’s energized response to the sequel, the director closed with a joke aimed at the Toho representatives in attendance.

“Toho executives are here now,” Yamazaki said. “Hopefully all your reactions tonight don’t have them wanting a third movie.”