Usually when Godzilla arrives in Tokyo, he’s either popping in to stomp on some buildings and gnaw on some passenger trains, or to fight off other monsters while stomping on some buildings. But now the King of the Monsters is about to become a permanent resident.
In what is simply a feat of engineering and not a reckless display of mankind’s atomic hubris, Toho—the film studio behind the Godzilla franchise—is erecting a Godzilla-themed cinema set to open this spring. The new multiplex will be capped by a 39-foot bust of Godzilla bursting out of the theater, glaring menacingly out across the Shinjuku district. (The bust will be accessible by terrace.) Fully illuminated at night, the Godzilla’s eyes and mouth will glow, and will periodically emit the kaiju’s signature “SKRE-ONNNK,” but is not expected to incinerate the neighborhood with his atomic breath.
Adjacent to the theater, the new 30-story Hotel Gracery will feature a deluxe “Godzilla Room” for $334 ($417 on weekends), a price that which will put guests in close quarters with a smaller incarnation of Godzilla, along with various film memorabilia. A number of more modestly priced “Godzilla Viewing Rooms” will also be available for $125, allowing guests to fall asleep under the watchful eyes of Godzilla himself. Or not fall asleep, depending how difficult it is trying to rest a few yards away from a giant, glowing 39-foot bust that periodically shrieks in anger.
The hotel is already accepting reservations, and plans to open April 24. That means the hotel and theater will be open in time to see Toho’s new Godzilla movie in a Godzilla-themed theater before dreaming Godzilla-themed dreams in a Godzilla-themed hotel, all of which will be possible when the sequel hits theaters in 2016.