Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero opened at No. 1 in North America this weekend with an estimated $31.6 million from 3,254 locations, according to studio figures reported Sunday, November 8. The Japanese-language sequel comfortably beat Bill Hader’s animated The Cat in the Hat, which landed in second place with $20.5 million.
What We Know
The Toho production, released in the U.S. and Canada by its subsidiary GKids, set a string of records in its first three days. The Associated Press reported that it is the biggest North American debut ever for a foreign-language import, passing the $17.9 million opening of Zhang Yimou’s Hero in 2004. TheWrap noted that among live-action films not in English, only The Passion of the Christ, a U.S. production in Aramaic, has opened bigger, with $83 million in 2004.
It is also a new high for GKids, whose previous best opening was the $13 million earned by Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. And the number is nearly triple the $11.4 million debut of Godzilla Minus One in December 2023.
Large-format screens carried a big share of the load. According to the AP, about 34% of the film’s global weekend came from IMAX, and Minus Zero is the first Japanese production shot for the format. Overseas, the film has taken in about $31 million, including roughly $17 million in Japan, where it opened on November 3.
Audiences seem to like what they are seeing. The film earned an “A” CinemaScore and sits at 90% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, all on a reported budget of under $20 million.
“How deeply audiences around the world connect with Godzilla” was behind the historic opening, Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global, told the AP.
Background
Yamazaki, who wrote, directed and supervised the visual effects, picks up the story in 1949, two years after the events of Minus One. Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return as the Shikishima family, joined by series regulars Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki and Sakura Ando. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival in September.
Minus One became a surprise global phenomenon and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, a first for the franchise. That success raised the bar for a sequel, and it is clearly paying off. The new film is a world away from the Hollywood MonsterVerse, where Bryan Cranston led 2014’s Godzilla and Millie Bobby Brown starred in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
The Rest of the Chart
The Cat in the Hat, the first feature from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and the start of a three-film Dr. Seuss deal, opened to $20.5 million domestically and $30.5 million worldwide. Hader voices the title character, but the $86 million production drew weak reviews (44% on Rotten Tomatoes), and Variety described the debut as a fizzle.
Angel Studios’ Revolutionary War musical Drummer Boy was third with $9.3 million. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything, which topped the chart over Halloween, added $8.9 million. The Indian epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend opened with $8.7 million. Further down, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, took in $6 million.
What’s Next
The big question is whether Minus Zero can pass the $57.1 million that Minus One earned over its whole North American run. Strong word of mouth suggests it will. TheWrap also pointed out that Minus One is currently the most-streamed film on any platform, according to JustWatch, which could keep the sequel’s run from fading fast. Final weekend figures were due Monday, and Hollywood’s own monster, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, arrives in March.
Sources
- Associated Press (via ABC News) – ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ stomps to record-setting $31.6M debut
- TheWrap – ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ sets GKids box office record
- Variety – ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ starts strong, ‘Cat in the Hat’ fizzles
- NBC News – ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ clobbers ‘The Cat in the Hat’