The film was given a North American theatrical release in March 1978 by independent distributor Bob Conn Enterprises under the title "The Terror of Godzilla". Just as Cinema Shares had done with the previous three "Godzilla" movies, Bob Conn Enterprises chose to utilize the Toho-commissioned English dub instead of hiring a new crew to re-dub the film. "The Terror of Godzilla" was heavily edited to obtain a "G" rating from the MPAA. Several scenes with violent content were entirely removed, disrupting the flow of the narrative.