Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” opened with a record $31.6 million at North American box offices over the weekend.
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“Godzilla Minus Zero” roared into theatres with a chart-topping $31.6 million over the weekend, setting a record debut for a foreign-language film in North America.
The Toho-produced sequel to 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One” quickly outpaced Warner Bros.’ animated “The Cat in the Hat,” which opened at $20.5 million in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday, with an additional $10 million overseas. “Godzilla Minus Zero” is distributed in North America by GKids and is set in post-WWII Japan.
The opening weekend marked a milestone for Toho’s Godzilla strategy, with Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global, saying in a statement: “This historic opening shows how deeply audiences around the world connect with Godzilla and with Takashi Yamazaki’s vision.” He added, “Our first near-simultaneous global release was built on that belief.” In Japan, “Godzilla Minus Zero” grossed about $17 million over the weekend.
The film, which carries a budget of less than $20 million, was filmed for IMAX, and had an early IMAX-only release on Tuesday. In the reported figures, “Godzilla Minus Zero” generated $21.3 million globally, or 34% of its box-office take, from IMAX.
Overall, the weekend also brought a wide release for an Indian title, with “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” launching with $8.7 million domestically and $32 million in India. The Hindi-language epic, distributed in North America by Sony Pictures, reached global audiences with “Godzilla Minus Zero” debuting at the same time in both its home market and in North America.
“The Cat in the Hat” faced weaker results, with its reviews described as 44% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Another animated option, Laika’s “Wildwood,” held well with a reported 22% dip in its third weekend, bringing in $7 million. Angel Studios’ “Drummer Boy” placed third with $9.3 million on its opening weekend.
The reported domestic top 10 by estimated Friday-through-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theatres had “Godzilla Minus Zero” first ($31.6 million) followed by “The Cat in the Hat” ($20.5 million) and “Drummer Boy” ($9.3 million). The remaining entries were “You Can See Everything” ($8.9 million), “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” ($8.7 million), “Wildwood” ($7 million), “Clayface” ($6.7 million), “Wild Horse Nine” ($6 million), “Stray Kids live viewing” ($3.7 million) and “Wicker” ($3.4 million).
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