“Godzilla Minus Zero” opened at the top of the North American box office with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters, a record-setting start for a live-action foreign-language film. “The Cat in the Hat” debuted in second place with $20 million from 4,003 locations, a weak result for an animated movie based on one of the best-known children’s books of all time.
The opening for “Godzilla Minus Zero” is the largest ever for a live-action foreign-language film in North America, surpassing the $17.8 million debut of China’s martial arts-inspired “Hero” in 2002. The R-rated sequel drew strong reviews and audience scores: 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” grade in CinemaScore exit polls. Premium large formats also drove unusually heavy interest.
The film is the first Japanese production ever shot for Imax, and Imax screens contributed $12.7 million, or 40% of the domestic gross. Premium large formats, including Dolby, accounted for 74% of ticket sales. By comparison, “The Odyssey” took 53% of its opening-weekend returns from premium large formats.
“We’re so happy to see audiences embrace ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ at an unprecedented scale for an international film,” said Chance Huskey, vice president of distribution for Gkids, which handled the U.S. release. The movie was produced by Japan’s Toho. Huskey said the release came from a campaign by Gkids and Toho that emphasized the intensity of the theatrical experience and the film’s “must-see” appeal.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” builds on 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One,” which opened to a better-than-expected $11.4 million and went on to earn $57 million in North America and $113 million worldwide, along with a visual effects Oscar. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the new movie takes place two years after the previous installment, as Godzilla regenerates and resurfaces to battle a new monster tormenting postwar Japan.
“‘Godzilla’ is a hit,” said David A. Gross, who writes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Critics’ reviews and audience scores are once again outstanding. This weekend’s opening takes the Japanese production to a new level.”
“The Cat in the Hat” received an “A” grade from CinemaScore audiences, which could help it play longer in theaters. Critics were less favorable, giving the film a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Bill Hader voices the title character in the animated version, which follows the mischief that begins after a hat-wearing cat arrives to cheer up two siblings who have moved to a new town.
Overseas, “The Cat in the Hat” collected just $10 million from 60 international markets for a global opening of $30.5 million. Unless it rebounds in the coming weeks, the $92 million-budgeted film will become another disappointment for Warner Bros. Theater owners keep roughly 50% of ticket sales. Warner Bros., which recently merged with Paramount Skydance, has had a bruising year at the box office with flops including “Digger,” “The Bride!” and “Supergirl,” producing hundreds of millions of dollars in theatrical losses.
The new film is the second adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, following 2003’s live-action comedy starring Mike Myers as the Cat. That movie opened to $38 million, unadjusted for inflation, and finished with $134 million, a disappointing result given a budget above $100 million. More recently, Dr. Seuss adaptations have been strong performers for Universal and Illumination: 2018’s “The Grinch” opened to $67 million, and 2012’s “The Lorax” opened to $70 million.
The theatrical landscape has changed considerably since those releases, but “The Cat in the Hat” is built on popular intellectual property and faced no direct competition. Families with young children have had little to see since Universal’s “Forgotten Island” in September. Even this spring’s “Hoppers,” an original Disney and Pixar release, managed a $45 million debut.
“This is a soft opening,” Gross said. “However, family animation does extremely well in ancillary windows, earning more in digital sales and rental, streaming and TV licensing than in theatrical. That is where the film should recover its costs.”
Overall, the weekend reached $114 million across all films, up 86% from the same frame a year earlier, when “Predator: Badlands” was No. 1. Year-to-date revenues reached $8.6 billion, 20% above the same point in 2025.
Exhibitors are hoping the momentum carries through November, which brings Paramount’s Christmas fantasy “Ebenezer,” starring Johnny Depp; Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping”; Universal’s comedy “Focker in Law,” with Ariana Grande joining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro; and Disney’s animated “Hexed.”
“It’s another encouraging sign as we head toward the all-important holiday movie season,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak.
Searchlight’s dark comedy “Wild Horse Nine” opened at No. 8 with $6 million from 1,100 theaters. Starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and directed by Martin McDonagh, the film is a promising debut for an Oscar hopeful with a much larger initial footprint than McDonagh’s previous film, 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” “Banshees” began in limited release and became a slow, steady box office hit with $10.5 million domestically and $50 million worldwide. “Wild Horse Nine” follows Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA officers dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before a Chilean military coup.
Another newcomer, the Indian epic “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,” earned $8.6 million over the traditional weekend and $12.1 million during its first four days in theaters. Sony is distributing the film in 1,300 theaters, the widest North American release ever for an Indian film. Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic is the most expensive Indian film production ever made, with the two parts costing a combined $500 million. Globally, the movie opened to $55.7 million, led by India with $32 million, followed by the United Kingdom with $3 million.
“Indian epics do some business in English-speaking countries, but they can make a fortune in India,” Gross said. “It’s going to need to make a fortune there.”
“Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” opened in fifth place behind A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything.” The zeitgeist-capturing film earned $8.8 million from 2,473 theaters in its fourth weekend, lifting its domestic total to $79.8 million. It will leave theaters as one of the biggest documentaries in decades and should be very profitable for A24, which produced the nearly three-hour film for $7 million.
“Drummer Boy,” a Christian musical from Angel Studios, landed at No. 3 with $9.3 million from 2,850 theaters. “Jimmy,” a faith-based biopic starring KJ Apa as actor and military veteran Jimmy Stewart, finished 12th with $2.2 million from 1,470 theaters.
In limited release, A24’s heartwarming comedy “Club Kid” and Amazon MGM’s drama “I Play Rocky” scored. “Club Kid” earned $390,583 from six screens in New York and Los Angeles, an average of $65,097 per location. Jordan Firstman wrote, directed and stars in the film, which centers on a hard-partying club promoter who discovers he has a 10-year-old son. “I Play Rocky” took in $345,000 from seven theaters, averaging $49,200 per location. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the movie tells the real-life story of Sylvester Stallone bringing the 1976 classic “Rocky” to the screen. Both films will expand nationwide around Thanksgiving.
“We’re incredibly encouraged by the response to ‘I Play Rocky’ so far,” said Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of domestic distribution. “The enthusiasm from audiences reinforces our belief that we have a film with both awards potential and commercial appeal.”