'Godzilla Minus Zero' Opens to $31 Million in North America, a Record for a Live-Action Foreign-Language Film

Japanese monster movie 'Godzilla Minus Zero' has roared out of the gate in North America: Variety reported on November 8 that the film is estimated to have earned $31 million in its opening weekend (November 6–8), topping the North American box office and setting the record for the biggest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film. Playing in Japanese with English subtitles, it took about $14.5 million on Friday alone, including preview screenings, across 3,254 theatres. (Image: the 'Godzilla Minus Zero' poster, courtesy of GKIDS.)

Beats 'Hero' record; nearly triple its predecessor

The previous record for a live-action foreign-language film belonged to 2002's 'Hero', starring Jet Li, which earned about $17.8 million in its North American opening weekend in 2004; 'Godzilla Minus Zero' is also the biggest opening ever for distributor GKIDS. The new film is performing far better than its predecessor: 'Godzilla Minus One' opened to $11.4 million in December 2023, so the sequel is earning nearly three times as much in its first weekend. Director Takashi Yamazaki returned to write and direct, with stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe also back; opening-night audiences gave it an A CinemaScore, matching the previous film.

'The Cat in the Hat' takes second with about $20 million

Warner Bros.' animated 'The Cat in the Hat', released the same weekend, took second place with about $20 million despite playing in more than 4,000 theatres; voiced by Bill Hader, the adaptation of Dr. Seuss's beloved children's book opened far below 2018's 'The Grinch', which earned $67.6 million in its first weekend. Both films' weekend figures are estimates, with final totals expected on Monday, November 9.