Godzilla Minus Zero Box Office Opening Beats Hader’s Cat in the Hat

Godzilla Minus Zero is king of the box office in its opening weekend as the sequel feature tallies the biggest launch in its distributor’s history with nearly three times the debut of predecessor Godzilla Minus One. Meanwhile, The Cat in the Hat got off to a quieter start.

Hitting 3,254 North American theaters from GKids and Toho, Godzilla Minus Zero conquered $31.6 million domestically for the weekend. This is being touted as the highest-grossing live-action foreign-language opening at the box office since 2004’s Hero launched with $17.8 million. (It’s behind the debut of last year’s animated Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle with $70.6 million, while 2004’s The Passion of the Christ and its massive $83.8 million opening is not included in the category as an American-produced project.) Godzilla Minus Zero notches the highest-grossing opening weekend for a GKids release, topping the $13 million for 2023’s Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron.

As the first-ever Japanese production filmed for Imax, Godzilla Minus Zero collected $12 million domestically from the premium format, comprising an eye-popping 40 percent of the domestic haul. It added $31.4 million internationally, including $17 million in Japan. Filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki‘s sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One earned an A CinemaScore from audiences and performed well above the distributor’s projected domestic opening in the mid-$20 millions.

“This landmark release is the result of a thoughtful campaign by GKids and Toho that emphasized the ‘must see’ intensity of the theatrical experience and director Takashi Yamazaki’s vision,” GKids vp of distribution Chance Huskey said in a statement. “We’re so happy to see audiences embrace Godzilla Minus Zero at an unprecedented scale for an international film.”

Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and Min Tanaka star in the new movie that carries a reported budget in the mid-teens. It centers on postwar Japan dealing with attacks from the three-headed Ghidorah and the possibility of Godzilla’s return. Godzilla Minus Zero holds an impressive 90 percent critics approval on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 96 from audiences, with The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney calling it a “thrilling jolt of marauding monster action.”

The sequel is making a bigger footprint than Godzilla Minus One, which opened in December 2023 with $11.4 million domestically and reached $57.1 million for the run, adding $56.9 million internationally. The film rode its massive breakout success to become Japan’s first feature to win the best visual effects Oscar.

“A huge thank you to everyone who ran to the theaters the moment the film opened!” added Yamazaki about the sequel. “I grew up in awe of Hollywood movies and have spent my career chasing after them, so seeing our Godzilla welcomed with so much warmth and excitement by people all over the world, and watched by so many of you, honestly feels like a dream.”

Overall, the weekend showed an increase of around 11 percent over last weekend, with the studios avoiding new releases for the Halloween frame, and a roughly 40 percent uptick from the equivalent 2025 weekend that saw the debut of 20 Century’s Predator: Badlands, according to FranchiseRe. This October had trouble establishing hits that can continue to play deep into the fall.

Warner Bros.’ The Cat in the Hat grossed a sleepy $20.5 million domestically from 4,003 North American locations, on par with the studio’s projection. The two previous animated Dr. Seuss adaptations had far higher debuts, with Universal’s 2018 The Grinch swiping $67.5 million in its opening, while that studio’s 2012 launch of The Lorax claimed $70.2 million. The studio hopes for word of mouth to help the $92 million-budgeted The Cat in the Hat play through the Thanksgiving holiday and into December after earning an A CinemaScore, with competition on the horizon from Disney’s Hexed on Nov. 25.

The Cat in the Hat could join the list of Warner Bros.’ 2026 theatrical disappointments, following such releases as The Bride! and Digger, unless it shows impressive legs. Dr. Seuss films historically haven’t made a big splash overseas, and this one has staggered its international release, with around half of the territories set for later debuts throughout the remainder of the year. The Cat in the Hat added $10 million internationally for the frame.

Directors Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni’s animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic 1957 children’s book centers on the titular feline being given a final chance to prove his worth by helping a pair of siblings. Bill Hader leads the voice cast that also includes Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson and Xochitl Gomez. The movie marks Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s first title since Bill Damaschke took over as president and chief creative officer in 2023.

Critics have been a bit aloof on the film, as it holds a 46 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from reviewers and an 87 percent score from audiences, with THR critic Frank Scheck calling it “more taxing than enjoyable.” It’s faring better critically than Universal’s 2003 live-action The Cat in the Hat starring Mike Myers, which holds an 11 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. That movie opened to $38.3 million domestically en route to a North American cume of $101 million against a $109 million budget.

Sony Pictures released Prime Focus Studios’ Ramayana: Rise of a Legend in 1,433 North American locations, with the film grossing roughly $8.6 million for the weekend and $12.1 million for the four days. It added $32 million in India and an additional $11.5 million from 37 overseas markets. Boasting the widest domestic launch ever for an Indian movie, director Nitesh Tiwari’s religious epic focuses on the life of Prince Rama, with the two-film project’s budget reported at $420 million and beyond. It holds a 76 score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, along with an 89 from audiences.

Also debuting in the top five is Angel Studios’ Drummer Boy, with directors Ben and Joel David Smallbone’s historical drama grossing a strong $9.3 million from 2,850 North American locations. Earning an A CinemaScore, the faith-based musical focuses on an unlikely bond during the American Revolution and stars Joel David Smallbone in the title role. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 50 critics score and a 94 from audiences. Angel was uniquely positioned to open the film in a major way after having established itself with the faith-minded audience.

“It has been eight long years of failure and triumph to bring Drummer Boy to the screen,” Joel David Smallbone said in a statement to celebrate the opening. “So as you’d imagine, I find myself deeply impacted by the fact that this personal story has found its way into hundreds of thousands of your hearts.”

Academy Awards hopeful Wild Horse Nine opened in 1,100 North American theaters with an estimated frame of $6 million. John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi lead writer-director Martin McDonagh’s comedic thriller about two CIA operatives who travel from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island in 1973. The Searchlight Pictures release holds a 94 critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and 91 from audiences, with Rooney’s review describing it as “uniquely affecting.”

Expected to hit just outside the top 10 is Burns & Co and Fathom Entertainment’s Jimmy, with the Jimmy Stewart biopic opening to an estimated $2 million from 1,470 North American theaters. Scheck’s review calls star KJ Apa “top-notch” but deems director Aaron Burns’ film “heartfelt to a fault.”

Another Oscar hopeful launched in platform release as A24 debuted Club Kid on six screens, with the Cannes standout grossing $390,583 for an average of $65,097 per screen. Making his feature directorial debut, Jordan Firstman also stars as a party promoter who learns he has a 10-year-old son. Set to expand into Thanksgiving, it boasts a sterling 100 score from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, with THR critic Richard Lawson heralding it as “winning and clever.”

Amazon MGM Studios releases I Play Rocky in seven locations, and it grossed around $345,000 for a per-screen average of $49,200. Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone in director Peter Farrelly’s making-of story for the 1976 classic Rocky. In his review, Rooney wrote that the movie — which holds an 88 Rotten Tomatoes score from critics — creates “a wave of warm nostalgia.”

Among holdovers, A24’s much-discussed Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything looks to pull in around $8.8 million for the weekend as it jostles with Ramayana and Drummer Boy to round out the top five. The domestic cume for directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s feature stands at $79.7 million.

Likely rounding out the top 10 is Black Bear’s Wicker, which declined just 23 percent in its third weekend with $3.3 million for a domestic cume of $19.8 million, along with an additional $9.1 million internationally. Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard lead directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer’s romantic fantasy that continues to build on enthusiastic word of mouth, holding a 94 critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and 92 from audiences.

Next weekend brings the Johnny Depp studio comeback vehicle Ebenezer, along with How to Rob a Bank and Paper Tiger.

More to come.

This story was first published on Nov. 7 at 8:43 a.m.