Godzilla gets to take a breather

Five decades after Godzilla debuted on the silver screen, the giant reptile is about to take a break from show business.

Hit by slumping box office sales for the iconic monster series, Japan’s Toho Co. is planning to shelve its Godzilla films after this year’s finale.

Toho studios’ executive producer, Shogo Tomiyama, said Thursday that the latest movie -- marking 50 years since the original “Godzilla” -- would probably be the last one for at least a decade.

“We have done all we can to showcase Godzilla, including using computer-graphics technology. And yet we haven’t attracted new fans,” Tomiyama said. “So we will make the 50th anniversary film ... a best-of-the-best, and then end it for now.”

The movie -- “Godzilla: Final Wars,” set to premiere in December -- will bring back the giant, genetically altered dinosaur for the 28th time in a fight to the finish against 10 foes, new and old. Toho’s budget will top its past record of $9 million, and there are plans for a U.S. roadshow.