In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Shinji Higuchi, the director picked by Toho to revive its dormant ¡°Godzilla¡± franchise, promised that his version of the iconic monster would be larger and more terrifying than its predecessors. However, the most hair-raising comment in the article was one attributed to film critic Yuichi Maeda, who was quoted as saying, ¡°Hollywood movies can count on million-dollar budgets, but even the most expensive Japanese films get only about a third of a million dollars.¡±

Ahem, Japanese filmmakers are cranking out blockbusters for the same amount that Hillary Clinton gets for a single speech?

While you don¡¯t need to be an industry insider to spot the obvious blooper, it¡¯s no secret that Japanese movies have to fight at a significant financial disadvantage. ¡°Jurassic World¡± and ¡°Mission: Impossible ¡ª Rogue Nation,¡± which opened here last weekend, both had budgets of $150 million to play with. By contrast, the director of a high-profile Japanese production can expect to get around ?2 billion (approximately $16 million). And it hurts. When Higuchi¡¯s live-action adaptation of ¡°Attack on Titan¡± hit screens earlier this month, drawing widespread criticism online, cult filmmaker Yoshihiro Nishimura ¡ª who worked on the movie¡¯s special effects ¡ª lashed out at viewers who insisted on comparing everything to Hollywood.

¡°OK, go ahead and watch nothing but Hollywood films then!¡± he wrote on Twitter. ¡°You should watch films that have been smashed in the face with cash! That¡¯s what people who are always comparing Hollywood and Japan like, isn¡¯t it?¡± Touche.