Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (often abbreviated as GMK) is a 2001 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko. The 26th film in the Godzilla franchise and the third of the Millennium era, it serves as a direct sequel to Godzilla (1954), ignoring the events of every other installment in the series (albeit briefly referencing the 1998 American film). Chiharu Niiyama stars as a reporter covering the story of Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon defending Japan from Godzilla, an onryō creature possessed by the souls of those killed during the Pacific War. The supporting cast includes Ryudo Uzaki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Shiro Sano, and Hideyo Amamoto, with Mizuho Yoshida as Godzilla, Akira Ohashi as Ghidorah, and Rie Ota as Baragon.

Kaneko had proposed directing a Godzilla film to executive producer Shōgo Tomiyama since 1991. After Kaneko's success with his Gamera trilogy (1995–1999) and Pyrokinesis (2000), Toho asked him to direct the next entry during the production of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000), granting him rare creative freedom. After initial concepts involving Kamacuras or a cosmic-ray-mutated astronaut were rejected, he settled on Godzilla battling three elemental guardians (originally Varan, Baragon, and Anguirus). Toho pushed for the more marketable Mothra and King Ghidorah, leading to the final lineup. Principal photography began in May 2001 and wrapped in August, on a budget of ¥1.1 billion ($9 million). Makoto Kamiya directed the special effects.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3, 2001. Toho later released it throughout Japan on December 15. The film and its accompanying Hamtaro double feature, Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land, grossed ¥2.71 billion ($20 million), tying as the third-highest-grossing Japanese film during 2002. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah also received generally positive reviews from critics, with many considering it among the best in the Godzilla franchise. It was ultimately the most critically and commercially successful film in the franchise's Millennium era.

The film was followed by Masaaki Tezuka's Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, which is set in a different continuity, released on December 14, 2002.