Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature (長篇怪獣映画 ウルトラマン, Chōhen Kaijū Eiga Urutoraman)[b] is a 1967 Japanese superherokaiju film directed by Hajime Tsuburaya, with special effects by Koichi Takano. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the first film in the Ultraman franchise, consisting entirely of re-edited material from the original series.[6] In the film, an extraterrestrial defends Earth from giant monsters who pose a threat to humanity.
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature was released theatrically in Japan on July 22, 1967, where it was distributed by Toho as double feature with their film King Kong Escapes, which was less popular among Japanese children upon its release. During its theatrical run, it grossed ¥200 million[a] in just three theaters in Tokyo.
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature was edited from episodes 1, 8, 26, and 27 of the television series Ultraman[6] originally broadcast on the Japanese television station TBS from 1966 to 1967.[1] The episodes were blown up to 35mm from their 16mm original television prints.[1][7]
Release
Marketing
Since the majority of television-owning Japanese households had black-and-white televisions at the time of Ultraman's broadcast on TBS, the film was marketed as a color production to encourage children to watch it.[8][9]
Theatrical
Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature was released theatrically in Japan on July 22, 1967, where it was distributed by Toho as double feature with King Kong Escapes,[1] which was less popular among Japanese children upon its release.[10] During its theatrical run, it grossed ¥200 million[a] in just three theaters in Tokyo.[3] The film has never been released in the United States.[7]
Home media
In 2006, Avex Trax released the film on DVD.[11] The film was included along with 5 other theatrical Ultraman films on a 9-disc box set released by Tsuburaya Productions on April 7, 2011, in celebration of their 45th anniversary.[12]
^ abRagone 1981, p. 30: "All within a span of one year, the company released three Ultraman films: ULTRAMAN (URUTORUMAN). a compilation feature from the old TV series which grossed 2 hundred million yen in just 3 Tokyo cinemas in the period of three weeks, prompted Fuji Eiga, the distributor of ULTRAMAN, to subsequently release an older, yet hitherto unshown coproduction Tsuburaya made with a Thai outfit in 1974. THE SIX ULTRA BROTHERS VS. THE MONSTER ARMY (URUTORA ROKUKYODAI TAI KAIJU GUNDAN).".
Toshiaki Iwabatake (September 1, 1994). テレビマガジン特別編集 誕生40周年記念 ゴジラ大全集 [TV Magazine Special Edition 40th Anniversary of the Birth of Godzilla Complete Works]. Kodansha. ISBN4-06-178417-X.
円谷英二特撮世界 [Eiji Tsuburaya's World of Tokusatsu] (in Japanese). Keibunsha. August 10, 2001. ISBN4-7669-3848-8.
"ウルトラマンG/ウルトラマンパワード" [Ultraman Great/Ultraman Powered]. Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK (mook) (in Japanese). Vol. 18. Kodansha. March 24, 2021. ISBN978-4-06-520941-7.
ULTRAMAN HISTORICA ウルトラQからシン・ウルトラマンまで [ULTRAMAN HISTORICA: From Ultra Q to Shin Ultraman] (mook) (in Japanese). Kodansha. June 28, 2022. ISBN978-4-06-528129-1.
"長編怪獣映画 ウルトラマン" [Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature]. Filmarks (in Japanese). TSUMIKI INC. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
