<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> ¥ 100 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> ¥ 183 million (US $1.6 million) </Td> </Tr> <P> Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira) is a 1954 Japanese science fiction kaiju film featuring Godzilla, produced and distributed by Toho . It is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and Shōwa series . The film is directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya . The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as the performers for Godzilla . </P> <P> Godzilla went into production after a Japanese - Indonesian co-production collapsed . Tsuburaya originally opted for a giant octopus before the filmmakers decided on a dinosaur - inspired creature . Godzilla pioneered a form of special effects referred to as suitmation, in which a stunt actor wearing an elaborate suit moves around a miniature set to give the impression of size . </P>

When did the original godzilla movie come out