‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Is Stomping Toward a Record Opening for a Foreign-Language Film

The ‘Godzilla Minus Zero‘ box office story starts with a movie few people expected to become a hit. When director Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus One’ arrived in 2023, it opened to just $11.4 million in North America. It then kept climbing to $57 million domestically and more than $113 million worldwide, and it won the first Oscar in the franchise’s history for Best Visual Effects.

That success set sky-high expectations for the follow-up. Yamazaki returned to write, direct and supervise the visual effects, and ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is the first Japanese film ever shot for IMAX. It is also the first R-rated film in the franchise’s history, picking up in 1949, 2 years after the events of the previous movie, as Godzilla returns and a new monster arrives.

Now the early numbers suggest the sequel is blowing past its predecessor. Deadline reports that the film is eyeing a $30 million to $33 million domestic opening weekend. That would make it the biggest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language movie at the domestic box office, as well as the biggest debut in the history of distributor GKIDS.

‘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 record would be a big leap. The previous high for a live-action foreign-language release was $17.8 million, set by 2002’s ‘Hero’. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ is playing in Japanese with English subtitles across 3,254 North American theaters.

The start was strong from the first show. Thursday previews brought in $6.7 million, which compares with the $2.1 million ‘Godzilla Minus One’ made from its Wednesday and Thursday showtimes. The movie then added a $13.5 million opening day, including those previews.

Even more telling is how the expectations shifted. A $30 million opening was considered the high end heading into the weekend, and now it looks like the low end. That is a dramatic change for a franchise entry that is entirely in a foreign language.

The film’s home market is just as wild. ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ opened in Japan on November 3, Godzilla Day and the 72nd anniversary of the original 1954 film. Its opening day gross of 910 million yen, or about $5.7 million, is a record for a live-action film in Japan, beating the opening day of ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.

Overseas, the film had already earned $8.7 million after 3 days, another record for a live-action release in Japan. Worldwide, the opening is tipped to land around $60 million.

IMAX and other premium large formats are playing a big role. Premium screens have been in high demand this year thanks to ‘The Odyssey’, and the sequel is expected to over-perform on them.

The new trailer for ‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’ has been released. In theaters on November 6. https://t.co/sgaEXweerd

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 8, 2026

Reviews have helped fuel the momentum. The film held a 91% certified fresh rating from critics, a touch below the 99% earned by ‘Godzilla Minus One’. It debuted at the New York Film Festival in September to raves, and early reactions praised its spectacle and emotional weight.

Stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return in the cast, joined by newcomer Min Tanaka as biologist Kanji Murakami. Together they continue the Shikishima family story in a postwar Japan still struggling to get back to normal life.

The competition this weekend is lighter than it might have been. ‘The Cat in the Hat’, an animated feature that critics have not warmed to, is projected for the second spot with a debut in the $17 million to $20 million range. That leaves Godzilla firmly in the lead.

If the projection holds, ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ will be more than a good weekend for GKIDS. It will show that audiences are willing to show up in big numbers for a subtitled, R-rated monster movie with a serious heart.

It also strengthens the case for Japanese live-action films on the international stage. The next few weeks will show whether strong word of mouth and premium screens can keep this kaiju sequel on a roll.

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