Cloverfield had a budget of $25 million, a fraction of the cost of other modern kaiju films. The "found footage" style of Cloverfield added a unique and immersive perspective on the giant monster rampage. Despite its lower budget, Cloverfield became a sleeper hit, grossing over $172 million and launching a successful franchise.

Most modern kaiju movies carry whopping nine-figure budgets, but one of the greatest entries in the genre was surprisingly cheap to produce. The kaiju genre originated in Japan and was created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishir Honda with their groundbreaking 1954 masterpiece Godzilla. But since the spectacle of giant monsters smashing up cities crosses the language barrier, the popularity of the kaiju genre has spread across the world. Godzilla kicked off both an international franchise and a subgenre of science fiction. Godzilla and his ilk continue to draw crowds to movie theaters around the globe.

Hollywood has had plenty of success...