Godzilla Minus Zero opens to $30.6 million in final weekend figures
Final weekend figures put Toho and GKids' "Godzilla Minus Zero" at about $30.6 million from 3,254 North American theaters, about $1 million below Sunday's $31.6 million studio estimate but still the biggest U.S. opening for a live-action foreign-language film. "The Cat in the Hat" finished second with $20 million.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
"Godzilla Minus Zero" took in $30,587,672 over the Nov. 6–8 weekend at 3,254 North American theaters, according to The Numbers' final weekend figures posted Monday. Variety's updated report puts it at $30.5 million. That is about $1 million, or 3.2%, below Sunday's studio estimate of $31.6 million, and it still finished No. 1.
Why it matters
Even at the lower figure, Variety says it is the biggest North American opening for a live-action foreign-language film, well ahead of the record set by the 2002 Chinese film "Hero" at $17.8 million. It is also about 2.7 times the $11.4 million opening of its predecessor, 2023's "Godzilla Minus One," which went on to earn $57 million in North America, Variety reported. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles.
More context
How it got there: Imax screens contributed $12.7 million, and premium large-format screens, including Dolby, accounted for 74% of ticket sales, Variety reported. It is the first Japanese production filmed for Imax. The film has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and an A CinemaScore. Variety puts its overseas take at $31.4 million from 77 markets, for about $62 million worldwide.
The rest of the top five (final figures, The Numbers): Warner Bros.' "The Cat in the Hat" $20 million from 4,003 theaters; Angel Studios' "Drummer Boy" $9.42 million; Sony's "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" $8.92 million over three days and $12.43 million over four; and A24's "You Can See Everything" $8.44 million in its fourth weekend, for $79.4 million total. Searchlight's "Wild Horse Nine" opened to $6 million. The Numbers puts the 51 reporting films at $115.5 million.
Estimate vs. final (US Brief comparison of Sunday studio estimates with The Numbers' final figures): Godzilla Minus Zero $31.61M to $30.59M (down 3.2%) · The Cat in the Hat $20.5M to $20.0M (down 2.4%) · Drummer Boy $9.31M to $9.42M (up 1.2%) · You Can See Everything $8.86M to $8.44M (down 4.7%) · Ramayana four-day $12.16M to $12.43M (up 2.2%). Sunday's numbers are studio projections of Sunday ticket sales, so small moves either way are normal when Monday's counts come in.
What's still unknown: How well Godzilla holds in its second weekend after a fan-driven start, and whether family audiences lift "The Cat in the Hat," a $92 million-budgeted film per Variety, through the Veterans Day holiday and the rest of November.
5 listed sources
- The Numbers, Weekend Domestic Box Office, Nov. 6–8, 2026
- Variety, Box Office: 'Godzilla Minus Zero' Roars With $30 Million Debut, 'Cat in the Hat' Fizzles With $20 Million (updated), Nov. 8–9, 2026
- Boxoffice Pro, Weekend Box Office: Godzilla Minus Zero Explodes to Number One (Sunday studio estimates), Nov. 8, 2026
- Deadline, Sunday AM update, Nov. 8, 2026
- The Guardian, Godzilla Minus Zero takes US box office by storm in opening weekend, Nov. 9, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Updated Nov. 9, 2026 with Monday's final weekend figures, replacing Sunday studio estimates. The Numbers lists Godzilla Minus Zero at $30,587,672; Variety's updated report rounds it to $30.5 million. Box Office Mojo still showed Sunday estimates when we checked. The changes from Sunday's estimates are US Brief's arithmetic from The Numbers' final figures and Sunday studio estimates as reported in Boxoffice Pro and Deadline.
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