‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ and ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ Prove Global Cinema Is Having a Moment

When release calendars were first locked in for the fall, a showdown was already brewing between two very different spectacles. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ was scheduled for early November, landing in the same week as Diwali in India, a prime box office corridor. That is also when ‘Ramayana: Part One’ was set to hit theaters.

The collision was about more than bragging rights. Both culturally significant movies were set to compete for premium formats and international audiences in the global diaspora. Reports said both films had secured an IMAX rollout, with a box office clash on Nov. 6, 2026.

Now the numbers are in, and Variety’s latest box office report says both films are roaring overseas. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ stomped into theaters with a chart-topping $31.6 million over the weekend, a record debut for a foreign-language film at the North American box office. The film also earned $63 million worldwide, while ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ took $8.6 million in the U.S. and $55.6 million globally.

The Japanese monster movie’s win carries extra weight for its distributor. GKids, the American subsidiary of Toho, set a new company box office record with the film’s opening weekend from 3,254 locations. Its closest competitor wasn’t close: ‘The Cat in the Hat’ landed in second place with $20.5 million.

Premium screens played a huge role in the creature feature’s success. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ generated $21.3 million globally, or 34% of its box office take, from IMAX. That is a strong reminder of how much large-format audiences are willing to pay for a big-screen event.

The Indian epic’s North American debut was a milestone in its own right. The weekend saw the widest North American release ever for an Indian film, with ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ described as a Hindi-language epic of Indian mythology. It landed in 5th place on the domestic chart with $8.7 million.

The film’s global footprint is arguably the bigger story. It is the first part of a two-part Indian epic and earned a $8.6 million 3-day and $12.1 million 4-day opening in North America. Sony Pictures released it as the first Indian film to receive the ‘Filmed for IMAX’ label.

The rivalry was never a level playing field everywhere. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ has no release in China, which was expected to give the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer a free run at the Chinese box office. The same report noted that ‘Ramayana’ opens in India on Nov. 8, so its home-market numbers are still to come.

Early tracking suggested this kind of breakout was possible. Industry reports had said ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ could become just the 4th non-English film to top the U.S. box office. The weekend result goes beyond that, with a record opening on top of the chart win.

For fans, the takeaway is hard to miss. A kaiju drama from Japan and a mythological epic from India both drew serious crowds in a market long dominated by English-language studio fare. Neither film needed to dilute its identity to do it.

The next few weeks will show how much staying power each film has. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is chasing a franchise-sized run, while ‘Ramayana’ has a second chapter waiting in the wings and an Indian release still ahead. If this opening weekend is any indication, the global box office just got a lot more interesting.