The Godzilla Film Festival Is Stomping Its Way Into Philippine Cinemas

Today, I feel very lucky whenever I get to see classic films on the big screen in the Philippines. We self-proclaimed cinephiles are often left starving for the chance to see these movies the way they were meant to be seen: in a theater, with a big audience, and preferably with an unnecessarily large tub of popcorn (BBQ flavor, please!). Luckily for us, SM Cinema has been pretty good at feeding that appetite. Last year alone, they brought The Sound of Music, Jaws, and The Shining to IMAX screens to celebrate their respective anniversaries. This year, they’re giving us something even more monstrous: the first-ever Godzilla Film Festival in the Philippines.

The King of the Monsters is stomping into Philippine cinemas courtesy of Go Asia Entertainment, bringing five films from the legendary Japanese franchiseFranchiseA series of films, shows, or games built around shared characters and a shared universe, often spanning many sequels, spin-offs, and merchandise. Franchises dominate box offices and streaming, and theirGo to Franchise Glossary to the big screen—and, for some fans, offering the chance to see these movies in a theater for the very first time. Running exclusively at select SM Cinemas from October 14 to 20, 2026, the festival will screen Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), and Shin Godzilla (2016). Now that’s a lineup.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little disappointed that they won’t be showing the original Godzilla from 1954, but I’m not about to complain. Five Godzilla movies on the big screen is more than enough to keep any cinephile occupied, especially with Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero looming on the horizon. It’s coming to Philippine theaters on November 4, and the upcoming film (which is already getting critical acclaim) is the sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One, which turned the King of the Monsters into one of the most exciting things to happen to blockbuster cinema in years.

It’s shaping up to be a very “Godzilla Fall.” And honestly, I’m into it. There’s something great about watching a classic movie in a theater, but watching Godzilla—one of Japan’s most recognizable cultural exports and one of modern pop culture’s most enduring characters—on the big screen feels particularly special. These movies were made for spectacle. If there’s ever a good excuse to let a giant radioactive lizard take over your afternoon, this is it.

And while we’re on the subject of Godzilla…

I don’t know what’s in the water in 2026, but everybody seems to be going Godzilla crazy. If a weeklong film festival isn’t enough to satisfy your craving, Lacoste has also teamed up with the King of the Monsters for a limited-edition capsule collection that’s currently available in select stores across the Philippines.

The collaboration brings together two icons that have absolutely no business looking this good together: Lacoste’s famous crocodile and Godzilla. The result is a playful meeting of French sporting style and Japanese pop culture, with Godzilla and other fan-favorite characters from the franchise appearing across a range of T-shirts, polos, and hoodies.

It’s a suitably fun way to wear your Godzilla obsession without looking like you just walked out of a convention carrying a 12-inch figurine. Though, to be clear, there is nothing wrong with that either.

The Godzilla Film Festival runs from October 14 to 20, 2026, at select SM Cinemas nationwide.

The Lacoste x Godzilla collaboration is available at select Lacoste stores in the Philippines for a limited time.