'Godzilla Minus Zero' Eyes Foreign-Language Box Office Record After $13.5M Friday

Toho's 'Godzilla Minus Zero' earned an estimated $13.5 million in North America on Friday, including $6.7 million in previews, and is tracking toward a $30 million to $33 million opening, Deadline reported. The outlet said that would be the biggest domestic debut for a live-action foreign-language film.

Nov 07, 2026 - 09:14

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"Godzilla Minus Zero," Toho's sequel to the Oscar-winning 2023 film "Godzilla Minus One," earned an estimated $13.5 million in the U.S. and Canada on its first day of release Friday, including $6.7 million from previews, and is on course for an opening weekend of $30 million to $33 million, Deadline reported Friday evening. The R-rated film, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki and released in North America by GKIDS, is playing in 3,254 theaters, including Imax locations. The Friday grosses and weekend projections are estimates.

A possible record for a foreign-language release

At that level, Deadline reported, the result would be the biggest opening ever for GKIDS and the biggest domestic opening for a live-action foreign-language film, surpassing the $17.8 million debut of the Chinese martial arts film "Hero." The Hollywood Reporter noted that a first-place finish would make it only the fourth non-English release ever to open at No. 1 domestically, following "The Passion of the Christ," which opened to $83.8 million in 2004; "Hero," which opened to $18 million the same year; and "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," which opened to $70.6 million in 2025.

TheWrap explained the distinction between those comparisons. "The Passion of the Christ" was an American production that Mel Gibson shot in Hebrew, Latin and reconstructed Aramaic, while "Hero" was a Mandarin-language film released in the U.S. by Miramax. "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" was released in both English-dubbed and Japanese versions, the outlet reported.

Previews and expectations

Deadline reported that the $6.7 million preview total covers shows since Tuesday, when fan screenings were held for Godzilla Day; The Hollywood Reporter described the figure as Thursday previews, in addition to Imax-exclusive advance screenings on Tuesday. Deadline also reported that the figure set a preview record for GKIDS, topping the $2.39 million earned by "The Boy and the Heron" in 2023, and was well above the $2.1 million in early shows for "Godzilla Minus One," which went on to an $11.4 million opening.

Expectations rose through the week. The Hollywood Reporter reported Friday that GKIDS had projected an opening in the low-to-mid $20 millions, while Variety said the film was expected to open to about $30 million. Deadline wrote that $30 million, previously considered the high end of forecasts, now appeared to be the low end. The Hollywood Reporter said the film carries a reported budget in the mid-teens of millions.

Variety reported that "Godzilla Minus Zero" is the first Japanese movie ever filmed for Imax. According to Anime News Network, it is also the first Japan-produced Godzilla film to open in Japan and North America in the same week. Toho acquired GKIDS in October 2024, the outlet noted.

Record start in Japan

The film opened in Japan on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the date celebrated there as Godzilla Day. Toho said Wednesday that the film earned 910 million yen, about $5.75 million, on its opening day, a record for a live-action film's first day at the Japanese box office, Kyodo News reported. Anime News Network, citing Toho, reported that the film sold 590,000 tickets that day. Deadline reported that the opening-day total surpassed the 840 million yen first day of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and that the film had reached 1.38 billion yen, or about $8.7 million, through three days.

Set in 1949, two years after the events of "Godzilla Minus One," the sequel follows postwar Japan as it faces attacks from the three-headed monster Ghidorah and the possible return of Godzilla, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Anime News Network. Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return from the first film, and Min Tanaka joins the cast. Yamazaki again served as director, screenwriter and visual effects supervisor, Anime News Network reported.

"Godzilla Minus One" opened to $11.4 million in North America in December 2023 and finished with $57.1 million domestically, The Hollywood Reporter reported. It became the first Japanese film to win the Academy Award for best visual effects.

The rest of the weekend chart

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's "The Cat in the Hat," with Bill Hader voicing the title character, was in second place with $5 million on Friday, including $1 million in previews, and a projected three-day total of $17 million to $20 million from 4,003 theaters, Deadline reported. Earlier in the week, Variety had reported tracking of $20 million to $25 million. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety put the film's production budget at $92 million, while Deadline reported a net production cost of $86 million.

Angel Studios' Revolutionary War-era musical "Drummer Boy" was third with $3.8 million on Friday and a projected $9 million opening from 2,850 theaters, according to Deadline. A24's documentary "You Can See Everything" was headed for $8 million to $9 million in its fourth weekend, down about 25%, with Deadline putting its running total at $79.6 million.

Sony's North American release of Prime Focus Studios' Indian epic "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend," which The Hollywood Reporter said is the widest domestic launch for an Indian film at 1,433 locations, was projected for $6 million over three days and $9 million over four days, Deadline reported. Searchlight Pictures' "Wild Horse Nine," Martin McDonagh's film starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, was outside the top five with an estimated $2.3 million Friday and a projected $5 million to $6 million from 1,110 theaters.

Deadline reported that Saturday's grosses will indicate whether "Godzilla Minus Zero" can draw a broader audience beyond its opening-day crowd. "The Cat in the Hat" faces no direct family competition until Disney's "Hexed" opens Nov. 25, according to Variety and Gold Derby.