Topline
“Godzilla Minus Zero” led the domestic box office this weekend after grossing about $31.6 million, according to early numbers reported by the Hollywood trade publications, making it the biggest debut for a live-action foreign language film in North America—and a majority of viewers opted to see the monster flick on a premium large format screen.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” director Takashi Yamazaki attends the film’s premiere in Los Angeles.
Key Facts
“Godzilla Minus Zero,” the newest Japanese installment in the classic kaiju monster franchise, grossed an estimated $31.6 million from theaters in North America, according to early numbers reported by the Hollywood trade publications, surpassing competition from the Warner Bros. reboot of “The Cat in the Hat,” which also opened this weekend for a disappointing $20 million.
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This makes “Godzilla Minus Zero” the highest-grossing debut for a live-action foreign language film in the U.S.—although it’s still far behind the $70.6 million opening weekend record for an animated foreign language film, which was set by “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle” last year.
It’s also a big improvement from the last Japanese Godzilla installment—”Godzilla Minus One” opened in 2023 with $11.4 million in North America, going on to gross $57.1 million at the domestic box office over the course of its run in theaters.
Early numbers also indicate a majority of the people who saw “Godzilla Minus Zero” opted for movie theaters with bigger screens: about 74% of ticket sales were from premium large format screens.
Big Number
$12.7 million. That’s roughly how much “Godzilla Minus Zero” grossed just at IMAX theaters. About 40% of opening weekend viewers opted to catch the monster film on one of the company’s screens, multiple trade publications reported, which counted as a premium large format.
Key Background
The success of “Godzilla Minus Zero” at IMAX theaters comes after the company reported a record-breaking quarter driven by the success of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” over the summer. About 52% of viewers caught “The Odyssey” on a premium large format screen during its opening weekend, accounting for more than half its $123.5 million domestic opening. The film went on to become IMAX’s best performing film of all time, accounting for roughly $550 million of its $1.8 billion worldwide gross.
Further Reading
IMAX Posts Best Quarter In Its History Thanks To ‘The Odyssey’
IMAX Breaks Its Summer Box Office Record By Staggering 73%—And ‘The Odyssey’ Didn’t Do It Alone
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
