Godzilla Minus Zero is off to a monster start at the box office. Takashi Yamazaki's sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One earned $6.7 million in previews, while Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat took in $1 million, Deadline reported. The preview total includes Godzilla Day fan screenings held earlier in the week, according to World of Reel.
For comparison, Godzilla Minus One made $2.1 million from its Wednesday and Thursday shows in December 2023, then opened to $11.4 million and finished its domestic run at $57.1 million. That film, made for about $10 million, won the Oscar for best visual effects.
A Record Weekend in Reach for Gkids
Gkids is releasing the R-rated, Japanese-language film in 3,250 theaters, including every IMAX auditorium, Deadline reported. Industry forecasts going into the weekend called for a $25 million to $30 million domestic opening. Even a start in the mid-$20 million range would be the distributor's biggest ever, topping the $13 million opening of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. World of Reel wrote that the preview number puts a $40 million opening on the table.
In the new film, the three-headed King Ghidorah wreaks havoc on post-World War II Japan as humans look to Godzilla as an ally. The domestic marketing budget, largely social, came in under $10 million, according to Deadline.
The film is also rolling out internationally this weekend, with markets including Mexico, Brazil, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia, for an estimated overseas start of $30 million or more from 23 territories. In Japan, it posted a $5.7 million first day, which Toho called an opening-day record for a live-action title there.
Also new in theaters this weekend is Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, set on the eve of the 1973 coup in Chile. Read Cup of Soul's review and our earlier look at the weekend box office race.
