Godzilla Minus Zero could achieve a box office milestone that only 3 non-English films have managed before

Godzilla Minus Zero was released in North American theatres on November 6, 2026, by Toho Studios' subsidiary GKIDS. The film has earned $6.7 million from November 5's preview screenings alone in North America. By the time Friday rolled around, the film had grossed $14.5 million.

Now, it is being predicted to have a $32 million opening weekend, a box office milestone that only 3 non-English films have managed before.

Godzilla Minus Zero is on its way to achieving a new box office milestone

As Deadline reports, Godzilla Minus Zero could achieve a new box-office milestone in North America. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film is expected to gross between $30 million and $33 million in its opening weekend. If the prediction comes true, it could make the film the highest-grossing live-action foreign-language film during an opening weekend in the domestic North American market.

The film earned approximately $14.5 million on Friday, including $6.7 million from Thursday previews. Playing in 3,254 theatres, the film is being predicted to be on a course to deliver the biggest opening weekend in GKIDS' history as a distributor.

Godzilla Minus Zero thus could become the fourth non-English-language film to top the North American box office charts for an opening weekend. The previous non-English-language films that topped the North American box office charts for an opening weekend are The Passion of the Christ, Hero, and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.

However, the film is not yet predicted to beat the record for the biggest opening by a foreign-language film at the North American box office, which belongs to Sony/Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which earned $70.6 million.

A large part of Godzilla Minus Zero's earnings is coming from IMAX and other premium big-screen theatres. These screenings are expected to account for 74% of the film's total opening weekend collection. For comparison, Universal's The Odyssey generated 52% of its $123.5 million opening from these formats. What's even more impressive is that GKIDS has managed this kind of response from audiences with a marketing budget of less than $10 million.

Audience reactions have also been encouraging. The film received an A on CinemaScore, matching the grade earned by its 2023 predecessor, Godzilla Minus One (2023). Its PostTrak results are equally strong, with 85% of viewers saying they would definitely recommend it and 95% giving it a positive response.

Elsewhere, Warner Bros. Animation's The Cat in the Hat is expected to take second place at the opening weekend as it is expected to gross $17 million to $20 million from 4,003 theatres. Angel Studios' Drummer Boy is being predicted to earn around $8.8 million, putting it in third place.

A24's You Can See Everything is heading towards another strong weekend, with an estimated box office revenue of $7.8 million to $9 million in its fourth week. Sony's Ramayana: Rise of the Legend is expected to collect $6 million over three days and $9 million over four days. Meanwhile, Searchlight's Wild Horse Nine is tracking an opening of $5 million to $6 million.

With all releases expected to bring in approximately $114 million, this weekend is building up to be the strongest opening weekend of November at the North American box office since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Godzilla Minus Zero is playing in theaters now.

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