"Godzilla Minus Zero" opened at No. 1 in North America with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters this weekend, the biggest North American start ever for a foreign-language live-action film, according to Sunday studio estimates reported by Variety.
The Japanese sequel took in about $63 million worldwide. Its opening is nearly three times the $11.4 million that "Godzilla Minus One" made in its first weekend in December 2023. That film went on to earn about $57 million in North America and won the Oscar for visual effects.
Takashi Yamazaki directed both, and Toho produced them. GKIDS, Toho's U.S. distribution company, released the new film here.
How it set the record
The old mark for a foreign live-action film belonged to the Chinese martial arts epic "Hero," which opened to $17.8 million. Counting every live-action release not in English, only "The Passion of the Christ," made in Hebrew, Latin and Aramaic, opened bigger, with $83 million in 2004. The new Godzilla is also only the fourth non-English film to finish a weekend at No. 1 in the U.S., and it beat GKIDS's previous best opening, the $13 million for Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron" in 2023, TheWrap reported.
"Godzilla Minus Zero" is the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, and IMAX theaters alone brought in $12.7 million, or 40% of the domestic total. Premium formats as a group, Dolby screens included, accounted for 74% of ticket sales. Audiences gave the R-rated film an A on CinemaScore.
"The Cat in the Hat" and the rest of the top five
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's "The Cat in the Hat," with Bill Hader voicing the Cat, opened second with about $20 million from 4,003 theaters, plus $10 million from 60 international markets. The movie cost $92 million to make. Its opening sits well below the 2003 live-action version's $38 million, and below "The Grinch" ($67 million in 2018) and "The Lorax" ($70 million in 2012), two other Dr. Seuss films.
| Rank | Film | Weekend gross | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godzilla Minus Zero | $31.6 million | New, 3,254 theaters |
| 2 | The Cat in the Hat | About $20 million | New, 4,003 theaters |
| 3 | Drummer Boy | $9.3 million | New, Angel Studios |
| 4 | You Can See Everything | $8.8 million | Fourth weekend, total near $80 million |
| 5 | Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | $8.6 million | $12.1 million since Thursday |
All films together grossed $114 million over the weekend, up 86% from the same weekend last year. More big releases arrive later in November, among them "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" and Disney's animated "Hexed."
