Godzilla Minus Zero stomped into movie theatres with a chart-topping $31.6 million over the weekend, scoring a record debut for a foreign-language film at the North American box office. The Godzilla Minus Zero box office opening is the biggest ever for a live-action non-English film in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates released on Sunday, November 8.
Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One easily beat Warner Bros.‘ animated The Cat in the Hat, which opened with $20.5 million, according to studio estimates. The film played in 3,254 locations across North America and earned roughly $63 million worldwide over the weekend, including about $17 million in Japan, where it opened on November 3.
The record suggests the Japanese-language monster film has broken through to a mainstream American audience. The debut set a new mark for live-action foreign-language openings, passing the $17.9 million launch of 2004’s Hero. The only foreign-language film to open bigger in North America is the animated Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed $70.6 million in its 2025 U.S. debut, according to Deadline.
A sequel to an Oscar winner
Godzilla Minus Zero is a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One, bringing Yamazaki back to the story of the Shikishima family two years after the events of his 2023 film. The first film won the Academy Award for best visual effects and became the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film ever in the United States and Canada, despite a budget under $15 million.
The sequel carries a budget of less than $20 million, according to the Associated Press, and is sure to blow past its predecessor’s record haul of $57.1 million. It was produced by Toho, the Japanese studio behind Godzilla, and distributed in North America by GKids, a subsidiary of Toho. The film is set in post-World War II Japan, continuing the series’ return to its Japanese roots under Yamazaki’s direction.
Audiences embraced it. The film earned an A CinemaScore from ticket buyers and holds a 90 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 162 reviews, with a 96 percent Popcornmeter from more than 1,000 verified audience ratings. IMAX contributed $21.3 million globally, or 34 percent of the film’s worldwide take, underscoring how much of the opening was driven by premium-format screenings.
Two foreign films, two records
The weekend belonged to international cinema. Alongside Godzilla Minus Zero, the Indian epic Ramayana also set records, and two foreign-language films sat in the top five of the North American chart. The Statesman noted that the two films’ combined success marked a rare weekend in which non-English productions dominated American cinemas.
The trend is part of a wider shift. International, non-English productions are drawing American audiences to cinemas in growing numbers, and Godzilla Minus Zero’s opening is the strongest evidence yet that the appeal is not limited to animation or to art-house crowds. A Japanese-language monster movie, rated R, opened in more than 3,000 theatres and finished first by a wide margin.
What the Godzilla Minus Zero box office numbers mean
For Toho, the opening is a validation of its strategy of keeping Godzilla Japanese. While Hollywood has made its own Godzilla films for decades, Yamazaki’s revival has brought the series back to its origins, with a post-war setting and a focus on human characters facing the monster’s return. The approach won an Oscar for the first film and has now produced a record opening for the second.
For GKids, the result is a company record. No film from the distributor has ever opened this big, according to reports. The company’s bet on a wide release, including a large IMAX footprint, paid off with a debut that more than doubled the previous live-action foreign-language record.
The film’s $6.7 million in Thursday previews and $13.5 million on Friday, including previews, had already signalled a strong weekend, and Deadline had projected a $30-33 million opening. The final estimate of $31.6 million landed squarely in that range, and final figures due on Monday could revise it slightly upward or downward.
What comes next
With a worldwide total of about $63 million after one weekend and a budget under $20 million, Godzilla Minus Zero is already a commercial success. The question now is how far it can run. Its predecessor built steadily on word of mouth, and the sequel’s strong audience scores suggest it could do the same.
The film opens in India on November 20, and further international releases will add to its total. For now, the monster has done what monsters do: arrived without warning, dominated the weekend, and left the competition in ruins.