Godzilla Minus Zero smashes the US record for foreign-language openings

Godzilla is back, and he has just rewritten the record books. Godzilla Minus Zero, the Japanese sequel to Godzilla Minus One (2023), opened at No. 1 with $31.6 million in its first weekend in the United States. No foreign-language film has ever started bigger there.

What happened?

The film took the top spot at the box office with $31.6 million over its opening weekend in the US. That makes it the best debut ever for a non-English-language movie in the country.

It was a big start back home too. According to the film's official X account, opening-day takings were the highest single-day revenue for a live-action film in Japanese history.

Elsewhere in the charts, the children's comedy The Cat in the Hat has collected $30.5 million worldwide after opening in the US this weekend. The historical drama Drummer Boy, set during the American War of Independence, made $9.3 million in US cinemas. Meanwhile, You Can See Everything has passed $80 million in total, and Clayface has passed $100 million.

What is the film about?

Director Takashi Yamazaki is back in charge. The story is set in 1949, two years after the previous film, and follows the Shikishima family as they face a new misfortune.

Expect monster battles, action and plenty of adrenaline. The cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Miou Tanaka and Jun Kunimura.

How did we get here?

The first film, Godzilla Minus One, opened in North America in December 2023 and became a surprise hit. In March 2024 it won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.

That success clearly built an audience. Now the sequel has turned it into a record opening.