Key points
- Godzilla Minus Zero took an estimated $31.6 million in North America over the Nov. 6-8, 2026 weekend, finishing No. 1 from 3,254 theaters.
- The debut is reported as the biggest North American launch ever for a live-action film made in a language other than English.
- Warner Bros.’ animated The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, settled for second place with roughly $20 million.
- The 2023 predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, opened to $11.4 million which reached Netflix in the United States in 2024.
Contents
A Japanese-language monster movie now leads the North American box office. Toho’s Godzilla Minus Zero collected an estimated $31.6 million from Friday to Sunday, the largest opening on record for a foreign-language live-action release in the region, according to Sunday figures reported by The Daily Beast.
Takashi Yamazaki directed the sequel. GKIDS, the North American distributor, opened it on 3,254 screens in the US and Canada on Friday.
Godzilla Minus Zero lands inside its $25-35 million tracking
Pre-release forecasts had pointed this way. On Oct. 28, SlashFilm put the likely opening somewhere between $25 million and $35 million.
A week later, TheWrap narrowed the forecast to $30-35 million in a Nov. 4 preview and expected The Cat in the Hat to land around $20-22 million. The weekend estimates match both calls: Godzilla in the lower half of the tighter range, the Dr. Seuss adaptation at the bottom of its own.
That leaves a gap of roughly $11 million between a Japanese-language sequel from a specialty distributor and a family animated title from a major Hollywood studio.
Audiences seem pleased with the monster movie: its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sits around 90%, while the critics’ score stood at 91% in early-week coverage.
Godzilla Minus Zero becomes the fourth non-English No. 1
Before this weekend, only three films not in English had finished first in the US, by TheWrap‘s count: The Passion of the Christ and the Mandarin-language Hero, both in 2004, and the anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle in 2025. Godzilla Minus Zero is now the fourth non-English-language weekend winner.
The live-action record comes with one caveat. The Passion of the Christ, a US production shot in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew, posted a bigger debut in 2004, so the record cited for the new Godzilla applies to films produced outside the United States. Demon Slayer, also bigger, is an animated title.
The result also breaks new ground for the franchise. As SlashFilm noted before release, no Japanese-made Godzilla film had ever won a full weekend at the North American box office.
Godzilla Minus One opened at $11.4 million, then found Netflix viewers
The previous chapter shows the size of the jump. Godzilla Minus One reached US theaters in early December 2023 with an $11.4 million opening.
It went on to earn about $57.1 million domestically and close to $114 million worldwide, according to TheWrap‘s figures, and became the first Godzilla film to win an Oscar, for visual effects. The table below compares the two debuts.
| Film | US opening weekend | Domestic total |
|---|---|---|
| Godzilla Minus One (2023) | $11.4 million | About $57.1 million |
| Godzilla Minus Zero (2026) | $31.6 million (estimate) | Run just started |
Viewers who missed the first film can watch it at home before seeing the sequel. Godzilla Minus One arrived on Netflix in the United States in 2024 and was also offered for digital rental and purchase at the time. Streaming catalogs change and differ from country to country, so check your own service.
Final Godzilla Minus Zero figures due Monday, Nov. 9
The $31.6 million total is still an estimate. Studios report actual weekend grosses on Monday, and the final number can move slightly in either direction.
The next test comes on the weekend of Nov. 13-15. How much ticket sales drop from the opening will show whether the film can keep its lead.
