Godzilla Minus Zero Roars to Record $32 Million US Opening, Biggest Ever for a Live-Action Foreign-Language Film
Godzilla Minus Zero has done it in America too — and then some. Deadline’s Saturday-morning update puts Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel on course for a $32 million opening weekend in North America, which would make it the biggest domestic opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film.
The film earned $14.5 million on Friday from 3,254 theatres, including $6.7 million from Thursday previews — a figure revised upward from the $13.5 million first reported, and a record for a non-English live-action release. It also earned an A CinemaScore, matching the first film’s audience grade, which suggests the opening is built on genuine enthusiasm rather than opening-day curiosity alone.
The record it is about to break has stood for more than two decades. Jet Li’s Hero opened to $17.8 million in 2004, and no live-action subtitled film has come close since. Godzilla Minus Zero is nearly doubling that mark, and doing it with almost no television advertising — distributor GKIDS spent under $10 million on marketing, with no TV spots purchased at all, according to Deadline. The film’s opening is also nearly triple the $11.4 million that Godzilla Minus One managed in its opening weekend in 2023.
Perhaps the most telling number is where the money is coming from. A remarkable 74 per cent of the weekend gross is being driven by IMAX and premium large-format screens, a bigger premium share than even The Odyssey managed on its $123.5 million opening. That is the profile of an event film, with fans paying extra for the biggest possible screen — and it explains why the film is playing strongest in the West, which accounts for a third of the gross.
Japan is roaring as well. The film’s running total there has reached $11.8 million since its November 3 opening on Godzilla Day, after a record opening day of about $5.7 million. Behind it, Warner Bros.’ The Cat in the Hat is heading for $17 million to $20 million in second place, also with an A CinemaScore, while Angel Studios’ Drummer Boy is filing an $8.8 million opening in third. The overall marketplace is estimated at $114 million, the best first weekend of November since before the pandemic. Filmverse tracked the Friday numbers as they landed: https://filmverse.in/godzilla-minus-zero-us-friday-13-5-million-cinemascore-record-opening/
Watch the official trailer below:
Godzilla Minus Zero is in cinemas now in Japan and North America.
Source: Deadline, Box Office Pro and ComicBook.com. All box-office figures are trade estimates.
