Godzilla Minus Zero topped the North American box office over the November 6–8 weekend with a $31.6 million debut, the biggest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film in the United States and Canada. The Japanese monster sequel, released by Toho through its GKIDS distributor, also collected $63 million worldwide in its first weekend.
The opening nearly tripled the $11.4 million debut of its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, and beat every Hollywood release in its path, including Warner Bros.’ The Cat in the Hat, which finished second with $20.5 million. It was a record-setting weekend beyond the box office, too — Lando Norris’s São Paulo Grand Prix win on Sunday sealed the Formula 1 constructors’ title for Mercedes.
A record more than twenty years in the making
The previous record for a live-action foreign-language opening in North America had stood since 2004, when Zhang Yimou’s Hero debuted with $17.8 million. Godzilla Minus Zero nearly doubled that mark in a single weekend, according to TheWrap’s box office report.
Only one non-English live-action film has ever opened bigger in North America: The Passion of the Christ, which took $83 million in 2004. The new Godzilla film also became just the fourth non-English-language film ever to finish No. 1 at the US weekend box office.
| Opening weekend | Figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| North America | $31.6 million | No. 1; record for a live-action foreign-language film |
| Japan | About $17 million | Opened November 3, three days before North America |
| Worldwide | $63 million | More than triple the reported $18 million budget |
| IMAX worldwide | $21.3 million | 34 percent of the global opening |
Premium screens did the heavy lifting
IMAX delivered $12.7 million of the North American total, or 40 percent of the weekend, and premium large-format screens accounted for 74 percent of domestic ticket sales. The film is the first Japanese production shot for IMAX, and audiences clearly sought out the biggest screens available.
That appetite for spectacle also explains the opening’s efficiency. The film was reportedly made for about $18 million, with under $10 million spent marketing it in the United States, according to Deadline — meaning its North American opening alone already covered the production budget and the marketing bill combined.
From Tokyo to Los Angeles in three days
Godzilla Minus Zero opened in Japan on Tuesday, November 3, timed to the 72nd anniversary of the original 1954 Godzilla, and arrived in North American theatres on Friday, November 6. Its first day in Japan took in ¥910 million, about $5.7 million, a record opening day for a live-action film in the country.
The release was handled in North America by GKIDS, the distributor Toho acquired in 2024. The $31.6 million opening set a company record for GKIDS, passing the $13 million debut of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron in 2023.
What audiences are watching in 1949 Japan
Director Takashi Yamazaki, who also wrote the film and supervised its visual effects, picks up the story in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One. Ryunosuke Kamiki returns as former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima and Minami Hamabe as Noriko, now married and raising their adopted daughter Akiko as Japan rebuilds from the war.
Just as the family finds a fragile peace, a new threat arrives — reviews describe the three-headed Ghidorah descending from space — and Kōichi is drawn back into the fight. The sequel runs 135 minutes and is rated R.
Critics and crowds are in rare agreement
The film holds a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an A CinemaScore from opening-weekend audiences, with a 96 percent Popcornmeter from verified moviegoers. That combination of critical praise and audience enthusiasm is the same formula that carried Godzilla Minus One to an Academy Award for best visual effects and $57.1 million in North America, the most ever for a Japanese live-action film there.
The monster’s debut capped a huge week for entertainment, as the GTA VI pre-load begins Tuesday for players counting down to the game’s November 19 launch. For Toho, the question now is how far Minus Zero can climb past its predecessor’s total — and whether a film made for less than $20 million can become the year’s most profitable blockbuster.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Godzilla Minus Zero make on its opening weekend?
It earned $31.6 million in North America and $63 million worldwide over the November 6–8 weekend, according to studio estimates reported by the Associated Press.
What box office record did Godzilla Minus Zero set?
It set the record for the biggest North American opening by a live-action foreign-language film, beating the $17.8 million record held by Hero since 2004.
When did Godzilla Minus Zero come out?
It opened in Japan on November 3, 2026, and in North America on November 6, 2026, in regular cinemas and IMAX.
Is Godzilla Minus Zero a sequel to Godzilla Minus One?
Yes. It is a direct sequel set in 1949, two years after the first film, with Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe returning as Kōichi and Noriko Shikishima.
Who directed Godzilla Minus Zero?
Takashi Yamazaki directed and wrote the film and supervised its visual effects, as he did for Godzilla Minus One.
