Godzilla Minus Zero Heads for a Record $32 Million Box Office Opening

Godzilla Minus Zero is heading for a record-breaking opening weekend at the North American box office, with an estimated $32 million that would be the biggest debut ever for a live-action foreign-language film. The Japanese sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One took $14.5 million on Friday, including Thursday previews, from 3,254 theatres in the US and Canada, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The weekend figure is an industry projection made on Saturday; studios report weekend estimates on Sunday and final figures on Monday, so the number may still move. If the projection holds, the film from Toho and its North American distributor GKIDS will comfortably beat the previous live-action foreign-language record of $17.8 million, set by Zhang Yimou’s Hero in 2004.

How Big Is the Godzilla Minus Zero Opening?

The $32 million estimate is far above GKIDS’ own forecast of an opening in the mid-$20 millions, The Hollywood Reporter said, and is a record start for the distributor. It is almost three times the $11.4 million that Godzilla Minus One made in its first weekend in December 2023. That film went on to earn $57.1 million in North America and another $56.9 million internationally, and became the first Japanese film to win the Oscar for best visual effects.

The overall record for a foreign-language opening in North America is still held by the animated Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which opened with $70.6 million last year, Deadline noted.

• Friday: $14.5 million, including $6.7 million in Thursday previews
• Projected weekend: about $32 million from 3,254 theatres
• Previous live-action foreign-language record: Hero, $17.8 million (2004)
• Audience score: A CinemaScore
• Reported budget: in the mid-teens of millions of dollars

Why Are Audiences Turning Out for Godzilla Minus Zero?

Word of mouth appears to be doing much of the work. Audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore, matching its predecessor, and 85% of viewers polled by PostTrak said they would definitely recommend it, according to Deadline. The film holds a 90% critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic, David Rooney, called it a “thrilling jolt of marauding monster action”.

Premium screens are driving the numbers. Deadline reported that IMAX and other premium large-format screens accounted for about 74% of the weekend gross, an unusually high share. That came despite a North American marketing spend of under $10 million, with no TV adverts bought, according to the trade site.

What Is Godzilla Minus Zero About?

Directed again by Takashi Yamazaki, the film returns to post-war Japan, which faces attacks from the three-headed monster King Ghidorah and the threat of Godzilla’s return. Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and Min Tanaka star. The film opened in Japan on Tuesday and had taken about $11.8 million (2.08 billion yen) there by Saturday, Deadline said.

How Did Other New Films Do This Weekend?

Warner Bros’ animated The Cat in the Hat, with Bill Hader voicing the title character, was second with $6 million on Friday from 4,003 theatres. Variety said it is expected to reach about $18.7 million for the weekend, slightly below early projections of $20 million to $25 million for the reported $92 million production. It also earned an A CinemaScore, and Deadline expects more family traffic by Veterans Day on Wednesday.

Angel Studios’ Christian musical Drummer Boy was third on Friday with $3.39 million. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything, which topped the box office over Halloween weekend, took $2.55 million in its fourth Friday and has earned about $73.5 million in North America. Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, made about $2.47 million from 1,100 locations, and the Indian epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend took $2.4 million.

What Does This Mean for Foreign-Language Films in the US?

Godzilla Minus Zero’s opening adds to evidence that US audiences will turn out in large numbers for subtitled films when the event feels big enough, a trend helped by the success of anime releases such as Demon Slayer. For cinemas, a hit that is so strongly concentrated on premium screens is especially valuable because those tickets cost more. A bigger test comes later this month, when The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives; Deadline reported that its presales point to an opening of at least $80 million.

Featured image: The TOHO Cinemas box office at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, by 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. File photo.

Sources

• Variety — Box Office: ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ dominates with $14.5 million on Friday as ‘Cat in the Hat’ follows with $6 million (7 November 2026).
• The Hollywood Reporter — ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ barrels toward historic $32M box office launch with ‘Cat in the Hat’ at No. 2 (7 November 2026).
• Deadline — ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is a box office hero with $32M live-action foreign-language opening record (7 November 2026).
• Screen Rant — Godzilla Minus Zero box office smashes historic 22-year record (November 2026).