Editing Destroy All Monsters (section)

==Release==
===Box office===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Godzilladam.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[American International Pictures]] theatrical poster for the 1958 U.S release of ''Destroy all Monsters''.]] -->
''Destroy All Monsters'' was released in Japan on 1 August 1968 where it was distributed by [[Toho]].{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1996|p=150}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=145}} It was released on a double bill with a reissue of the film ''[[Atragon]]''.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1996|p=150}}{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2011|loc=00:00:32}} The film had a budget of roughly ¥200,000,000 and received an attendance of 2,580,000. The film was reissued theatrically in Japan in 1972 where it was re-edited by Honda to a 74-minute running time and released with the title ''Godzilla: Lightning Fast Strategy'' (ゴジラ電撃大作戦, Gojira Dengeki Daisakusen).{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1996|p=150}} ''Destroy All Monsters'' continued the decline in ticket sales in Japan for the ''Godzilla'' series, earning 2.6 million in ticket sales.{{sfn|Kalat|1997|p=100}} In comparison, ''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster]]'' brought in 3.8 million and ''[[Son of Godzilla]]'' collected 2.5 million.{{sfn|Kalat|1997|p=100}}

===US release===
The film was released in the United States by [[American International Pictures]] with an English-language dub on 23 May 1969.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1996|p=150}} The film premiered in the United States in [[Cincinnati]].{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=145}} American International Pictures hired [[Titra Studios]] to dub the film into English.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}} The American version of the film remains relatively close to the Japanese original.{{sfn|Kalat|1997|p=99}} Among the more notable removed elements include Akira Ifukube's title theme (the credits are moved to the end of the film) and a brief shot of [[Minilla]] shielding his eyes and ducking when King Ghidorah drops Anguirus from the sky.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}} ''Destroy All Monsters'' was shown on American television until the early 1980s.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}} It resurfaced on cable broadcast on the [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] in 1996.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}}

===Home media===
The AIP release of ''Destroy All Monsters'' was never released on home video in the United States, despite Orion Home Video at one point having distribution rights. It was finally released on [[VHS]] by [[ADV Films]] in 1998 which featured English-dubbed dialogue from Toho's own international version of the film.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=368}} In 2011, [[Media Blasters|Tokyo Shock]] released the film on DVD and [[Blu-ray]] and in 2014 the company re-released it on DVD and Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://screenanarchy.com/2011/12/destroy-all-monsters-blu-ray-review.html|title=DESTROY ALL MONSTERS Blu-ray Review|location=[[Screen Anarchy]]|author=J Hurtado|date=12 December 2011|access-date=16 November 2016}}</ref> In 2019, the Japanese version and export English version were included in a Blu-ray box set released by the Criterion Collection, which included all 15 films from the franchise's [[Godzilla (franchise)#Shōwa era (1954–1975)|Shōwa era]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/25/8930381/godzilla-criterion-collection-showa-era-films-release-date|title=Criterion reveals the collection's 1000th disc: the ultimate Godzilla set|last=Patches|first=Matt|date=July 25, 2019|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=July 25, 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=December 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217223541/https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/25/8930381/godzilla-criterion-collection-showa-era-films-release-date}}</ref>

In 2021, Toho premiered a [[4K resolution|4K remaster]] of the film on the [[Nippon TV|Nippon Classic Movie Channel]], along with seven other Godzilla films also remastered in 4K. The film was [[2K resolution|downscaled to 2K]] for broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nihon-eiga.com/osusume/godzilla4K_2021/|title=『ゴジラ』シリーズ 4Kデジタルリマスター 最恐画質 8ヶ月連続放送|language=Japanese|first=|last=|work=Nihon–eiga.com|date=|access-date=March 26, 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=March 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326175658/https://www.nihon-eiga.com/osusume/godzilla4K_2021/}}</ref>

===Critical response===
From contemporary reviews, both ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' and ''[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' noted the film's best scenes involved the monsters together, while criticizing the filmmaking. ''Variety'' reviewed the English-dubbed version of the film stating that it may appeal to "Sci-fi addicts and monster fans" while stating that the "plot is on comic strip level, special effects depend on obvious miniatures and acting (human) is from school of ''[[Flash Gordon]]''" and that the film's strength relied on its "monster rally".{{sfn|Willis|1985|p=246|ps=: "Review is of 88 minute English-language version viewed on May 23, 1969"}} The ''[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' opined that "the model work is poor, and as usual the script is junior comic-strip".<ref name="mfb-dam">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Monthly Film Bulletin]]|title=Kaiju Soshingeki (Destroy All Monsters)|page=267|volume=36|issue=420|year=1969|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|location=London|issn=0027-0407}}</ref> Both reviews mentioned the monsters' final scene with ''Variety'' commenting that it was "clever" and the ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' stating that "apart from [the monsters] statutory devastation of world capitals [...] the monsters have disappointingly little to do until they get together in the last reel for a splendid battle"{{sfn|Willis|1985|p=246|ps=: "Review is of 88 minute English-language version viewed on May 23, 1969"}}<ref name="mfb-dam" /> The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' commented that the film was "almost worth sitting through the banalities for the final confrontation on Mount Fuji" noting the son of Godzilla "endearingly applauding from a safe distance" and "the victorious monsters performing a celebratory jig".<ref name="mfb-dam" />

From retrospective reviews, Steve Biodrowski of ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' commented that the film "is too slim in its storyline, too thin in its characterizations, to be considered a truly great film [...] But for the ten-year-old living inside us all, it is entertainment of the most awesome sort."<ref>{{cite web|last=Steve|first=Biodrowski|date=11 April 2009|title=Destroy All Monsters (1968) – Kaiju Review|url=http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/04/11/destroy-all-monsters-1968-kaiju-review/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810185333/http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/04/destroy-all-monsters-1968-kaiju-review/|archive-date=10 August 2013|access-date=26 January 2017|work=[[Cinefantastique]]}}</ref> Matt Paprocki of ''[[Blogcritics]]'' said the film is "far from perfect" and "can be downright boring at times" but felt that "the destruction scenes make up for everything else" and "the final battle is an epic that simply can't be matched".<ref>{{cite web|last=Paprocki|first=Matt|date=6 July 2004|title=Destroy All Monsters DVD Review|url=http://blogcritics.org/video/article/destroy-all-monsters-dvd-review/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117212524/http://blogcritics.org/destroy-all-monsters-dvd-review/|archive-date=17 November 2016|access-date=26 January 2017|website=[[Blogcritics]]}}</ref>

The film is considered a cult favorite among fans of the ''Godzilla'' franchise.<ref name="Criterion">{{cite web|title=Destroy All Monsters (1968)|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/29347-destroy-all-monsters|website=[[The Criterion Collection]]|publisher=The Criterion Collection|access-date=26 July 2019|quote=... ''Destroy All Monsters'' mounts a thrilling display of innovative action sequences and memorable images that have made it a favorite for generations of viewers.}}</ref>{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=243}} In Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski's 2017 book covering Ishiro Honda's filmography, they expressed that ''Destroy All Monsters'' is now seen as the "last truly spirited entry" in Toho's initial series of ''kaiju'' films, due to "its audacious and simple story, a bounty of monsters and destruction, and a memorably booming soundtrack from Akira Ifukube".{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=243}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=82|count=11|average=6.6|ref=yes|access-date=September 19, 2023}}