‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Is Heading for a Historic Opening Weekend
A Japanese monster movie with English subtitles is on track to top the North American box office. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is having the kind of opening weekend most studios would love, and it’s doing so as a foreign-language film. Its predecessor, Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus One’, made $2.1M from its Wednesday and Thursday showtimes and went on to an $11.4M opening.
The sequel was already off to a strong start. It earned approximately $6 million in preview screenings ahead of its wide theatrical release on November 6, a new preview record for distributor GKIDS. The previews were very close to Legendary’s 2019 ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’, which posted $6.3M in Thursday previews on its way to a $47.7M opening.
Friday’s numbers have pushed it even further. In its latest box office update, Deadline reports that ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ looks to be coming in at its opening range of $30 million-$33 million after a $13.5M Friday at 3,254 theaters that includes $6.7M in previews. That would be a record opening for a live-action foreign-language film at the domestic box office.
The improvement over ‘Minus One’ is huge. An opening in this range would be roughly triple what ‘Godzilla Minus One’ opened to in 2023, back when the subtitled Japanese monster movie became a surprise winter hit. That film went on to gross $57.1 million domestically and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
The franchise has clearly grown since then. ‘Godzilla Minus One’ became the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film at the global box office, and fans seem eager for more of Yamazaki’s version of the King of the Monsters.
‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’ is eyeing a $30M-$33M opening weekend at the domestic box office. The biggest opening for a foreign language movie domestically. https://t.co/KNCQAlWLaO
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 6, 2026
The film is breaking records at home as well. It posted a $5.7M first day in Japan (¥910 million) with more than 590,000 attendees, which Toho calls an opening-day record for a live-action title in Japan, local or foreign. That surpassed the previous benchmark held by ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.
The momentum has continued since then. In Japan, the film reached 1.38 billion yen, or $8.7M, through its first 3 days. Globally, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ was tracking for $25 million to $33 million domestically, plus another $30 million overseas, for a worldwide start near $60 million.
Several factors are helping. The film is boosted by IMAX and a ton of premium large formats, and it’s the first Japanese film ever shot for IMAX. The sequel also brings back Yamazaki as director, with King Ghidorah tearing through postwar Japan.
Godzilla lives! Face the monsters in the historic, critically acclaimed epic #GodzillaMinusZero, in theatres & IMAX nationwide. #FilmedForIMAX Get tickets now. https://t.co/2Ktmma6fOa https://t.co/Ku73umnqX0
— GODZILLA.OFFICIAL (@Godzilla_Toho) November 5, 2026
Critics have been positive too. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is 91% certified fresh, compared with ‘Godzilla Minus One’s ‘ 99% with critics. The R-rated sequel’s strong reviews, plus the goodwill from the Oscar-winning first film, have made it a must-see for both monster movie fans and general audiences.
The competition doesn’t look close. ‘The Cat in the Hat’ was projected to open to around $19 million, while Angel Studios’ ‘Drummer Boy’ is third with a $3.8M Friday and a projected $9M opening. That leaves the King of the Monsters in first place.
Even the low end of the projection would set a new high for GKIDS. A $30M+ debut would far exceed the studio’s previous best opening, $13M for Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’. With a near-simultaneous launch in Japan and North America, Toho’s new release strategy is clearly paying off.
Are you planning to watch Godzilla Minus Zero in theaters?
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