Godzilla Minus Zero crushes box-office rivals with record US$31.6 million debut

Godzilla Minus Zero stomped into movie theaters with a chart-topping US$31.6 million (S$40.53 million) over the weekend, scoring a record debut for a foreign-language film at the North American box office.

Takashi Yamazaki‘s sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One easily thrashed Warner Bros' animated The Cat in the Hat movie. That film, featuring the voice of Bill Hader, opened with US$20.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday (Nov 7), plus US$10 million overseas.

While Godzilla recently celebrated his 72nd birthday, Yamazaki has revived one of the longest running franchises in movies by bringing the series back to its Japanese roots. The film, produced by Toho and distributed in North America by GKids, is set in post-WWII Japan.

No live-action foreign language film has had a bigger opening weekend, unless you count 2004’s Passion of the Christ, which opened with US$83.8 million despite its largely Aramaic dialogue. Last year, the anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle debuted with US$70.6 million.

But Godzilla Minus Zero bested the mark for live-action previously held by 2004’s Hero (a US$17.9 million launch) and added to the trend of international, non-English productions drawing American audiences to cinemas.

JAPANESE AND INDIAN FILMS SCORE IN NORTH AMERICA

The weekend also saw the widest North American release for an Indian film. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, is a Hindi-language epic of Indian mythology that, as part one of two, is the most expensive Indian film ever made. Distributed by Sony Pictures in North America, it launched with US$8.7 million domestically and US$32 million in India.

Godzilla Minus Zero and Ramayana were both given global releases, debuting in their home countries at the same time as they reached American audiences. In Japan, Godzilla Minus Zero grossed about US$17 million over the weekend.

“This historic opening shows how deeply audiences around the world connect with Godzilla and with Takashi Yamazaki’s vision,” said Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global, in a statement. “Our first near-simultaneous global release was built on that belief.”

Godzilla Minus One, which won the Oscar for best visual effects, was the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film ever in US and Canada despite a modest budget under US$15 million.

Godzilla Minus Zero, carrying a budget of less than US$20 million, is sure to blow past its predecessor’s record haul of US$57.1 million. Since first premiering last month at the New York Film Festival, the film has scored well with critics (90 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (an “A” CinemaScore).

Godzilla and Ramayana were each filmed for IMAX, with Yamazaki’s film receiving an early IMAX-only release on Tuesday. Both benefited greatly from large-format screens. Godzilla Minus Zero generated US$21.3 million globally, or 34 per cent of its box-office take, from IMAX.

The big result for Godzilla Minus Zero will either whet audiences' appetites or pose an awkward comparison for the next Hollywood, English-language Godzilla movie. In March, Warner Bros. and Legendary will release Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.