“Godzilla Minus Zero” dominated the North American box office over the weekend, earning an estimated $31.6 million and setting a new record for the biggest opening by a live-action foreign-language film in the region. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the Japanese sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning “Godzilla Minus One” claimed the No. 1 position, outperforming Warner Bros.’ animated “The Cat in the Hat,” which debuted with $20.5 million domestically and another $10 million internationally.
Produced by Toho and distributed in North America by GKIDS, “Godzilla Minus Zero” returns the iconic monster to its Japanese roots with a story set in post-World War II Japan. The film was made on a reported budget of less than $20 million and has received positive responses from both critics and moviegoers. Strong audience interest, favorable reviews and premium-format screenings contributed to the sequel’s impressive start, with IMAX alone accounting for approximately $12.7 million of its worldwide opening weekend revenue.
The film’s opening also marks a significant improvement over its predecessor, which launched with approximately $11.4 million in North America before eventually collecting $57.1 million in the region. “Godzilla Minus Zero” also established a new opening-weekend record for Toho’s North American distributor, GKIDS, surpassing the company’s previous milestone set by Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron.” The sequel earned approximately $63 million worldwide, including an estimated $17 million in Japan, where it opened Nov. 3 in conjunction with the franchise’s 72nd anniversary.
The film’s performance also surpassed the previous North American opening record for a live-action, non-English-language production held by Zhang Yimou’s “Hero,” which debuted with $17.8 million in 2004. However, the overall foreign-language opening record remains with the animated Japanese feature “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,” which collected $70.6 million in its 2025 debut.
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