“Godzilla Minus Zero” towered over the North American box office, opening with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters and setting a new benchmark for a live-action foreign-language film in the market.

The R-rated monster epic easily outpaced the animated “The Cat in the Hat,” which collected $20 million from 4,003 locations. That result marked a soft start for the $92 million Warner Bros. production despite its familiar Dr. Seuss source material.

Premium-format audiences played an unusually large role in Godzilla’s victory. Imax screens delivered $12.7 million, accounting for 40% of the film’s domestic gross. “Godzilla Minus Zero” is the first Japanese production filmed for Imax.

When Dolby and other premium large-format venues are included, PLFs generated 74% of the movie’s ticket sales. For comparison, “The Odyssey” received 53% of its opening-weekend business from premium formats.

Strong reception also helped drive the record launch. “Godzilla Minus Zero” holds a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes and received an “A” grade from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.

“We’re so happy to see audiences embrace ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ at an unprecedented scale for an international film,” said Chance Huskey, Gkids’ vice president of distribution. Gkids handled the film’s U.S. release, while its theatrical campaign was mounted with Toho.

Godzilla Builds on “Minus One” Momentum

Produced by Japan’s Toho and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, “Godzilla Minus Zero” takes place two years after “Godzilla Minus One.” Its story finds Godzilla regenerating and returning to face another monster terrorizing postwar Japan.

The previous film opened with a better-than-expected $11.4 million before reaching $57 million in North America and $113 million worldwide. It also won an Oscar for visual effects.

David A. Gross, publisher of the FranchiseRe box office newsletter, called the new installment a hit and said its opening had taken the Japanese production “to a new level,” pointing to the strong critical and audience response.

“The Cat in the Hat,” meanwhile, received sharply divided reactions. Moviegoers awarded the animated release an “A” CinemaScore, but its Rotten Tomatoes rating stood at 45%. Bill Hader voices the title character in the story of a mischievous, hat-wearing cat who arrives to lift the spirits of two siblings after they move to a new town.

The film added $10 million from 60 overseas markets, bringing its worldwide opening to $30.5 million. Theater owners generally retain roughly half of ticket revenue, increasing the pressure on the movie to improve in the coming weeks.

Gross described the theatrical debut as soft but noted that family animation can earn substantial revenue from digital purchases and rentals, streaming and television licensing.

This is the second film adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book after the 2003 live-action comedy starring Mike Myers. That release debuted with $38 million, without adjusting for inflation, and finished with $134 million against a budget above $100 million. Other Dr. Seuss adaptations opened much higher: 2018’s “The Grinch” launched with $67 million, while 2012’s “The Lorax” began with $70 million.

The latest “Cat in the Hat” also arrived without direct competition for families with young children, who have had limited options since Universal’s “Forgotten Island” in September. Disney and Pixar’s original “Hoppers,” released in the spring, opened with $45 million.

A Bigger Weekend Across the Box Office

Total ticket sales reached $114 million across all films, an 86% increase from the comparable weekend one year earlier, when “Predator: Badlands” led the chart. Year-to-date revenue rose to $8.6 billion, 20% ahead of the same point in 2025, according to Rentrak.

“Drummer Boy,” Angel Studios’ Christian musical, took third place with $9.3 million from 2,850 theaters. A24’s nearly three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything” earned another $8.8 million from 2,473 locations in its fourth weekend, lifting its domestic total to $79.8 million. A24 produced the documentary for $7 million.

“Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” opened in fifth place with $8.6 million for the traditional weekend and $12.1 million across its first four days. Sony released the Indian epic in 1,300 theaters, the widest North American rollout ever for an Indian film. Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic cost a combined $500 million, making the films the most expensive Indian productions to date.

Searchlight’s “Wild Horse Nine” debuted at No. 8 with $6 million from 1,100 theaters. Directed by Martin McDonagh and starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, the dark comedy follows CIA officers sent from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before a Chilean military coup.

The faith-based biopic “Jimmy,” featuring KJ Apa as actor and military veteran Jimmy Stewart, finished in 12th place with $2.2 million from 1,470 theaters.

Two limited releases also posted strong per-theater results. A24’s “Club Kid,” written, directed by and starring Jordan Firstman, earned $390,583 from six New York and Los Angeles screens, averaging $65,097 per location. Amazon MGM’s Peter Farrelly-directed “I Play Rocky” took $345,000 from seven theaters, for a $49,200 average. Both films are scheduled to expand nationwide around Thanksgiving.

ShowBiz Take

“Godzilla Minus Zero” did more than win the weekend: its record-setting foreign-language launch demonstrated the impact of turning a film into a premium theatrical event. With nearly three-quarters of its ticket sales coming from PLFs, the movie’s scale and Imax presentation became central to its commercial performance.

The contrast with “The Cat in the Hat” is equally striking. Audience approval may still give the animated film room to hold, and ancillary revenue could improve its longer-term position, but its opening shows that recognizable material alone did not guarantee a dominant theatrical debut.

What Happens Next?

Exhibitors will look to November releases to sustain the market’s year-over-year growth. Upcoming titles include Paramount’s Christmas fantasy “Ebenezer,” starring Johnny Depp; Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping”; Universal’s “Focker in Law,” with Ariana Grande joining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro; and Disney’s animated “Hexed.”