On 27 October 1954, in the bustling Japanese city of Nagoya, cinemagoers first glimpsed a creature that would become seared in the world’s collective imagination: a gigantic radioactive lizard.

Standing 50 metres tall, this ocean-dwelling monster had been awakened by an atomic test. And now it was rampaging towards Tokyo, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake! The legend of Godzilla was born.

Godzilla still holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running cinema franchise. Since the original release in 1954, there have been 38 films – 33 made in Japan and 5 in Hollywood. The latest chapter in the franchise – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – came out in 2024 and marked the monster’s 70th birthday.