Takashi Yamazaki‘s monster sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, has stomped its way to the top of the global box office weekend, garnering a massive US$63 million global opening and making it the biggest debut for a live-action foreign-language film in North America.
As reported by Deadline, the sequel opened to a record-breaking domestic haul of US$31.6 million, although the overall record opening for a foreign-language film at the domestic box office remains Sony Pictures’ 2025 animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, which opened to US$70.6 million.
Godzilla Minus Zero is shaping up to be an even bigger sequel, and is set to easily beat out its predecessor’s record haul of US$57.1 million, all on a budget of less than US$20 million. The movie was also the first Japanese movie to be filmed for IMAX, with 34 percent of its box office earnings garnered from large-format screens.
Set two years after the events of 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, the sequel “continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity,” as per the film’s official description. Main cast members, Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe, reprise their roles as former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima and his wife Noriko Ōishi, respectively, and are joined by newcomer Min Tanaka as Kanji Murakami.
Another strong performer over the weekend was another foreign-language film, the Indian fantasy epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, which opened to US$55.7 million globally, with the bulk of the gross unsurprisingly being from India. Based on the celebrated ancient epic, the film follows the story of Rama, a prince bound by sacrifice, the immortal king Ravana, and the prophecy that binds their fates together.
Other notable performers this box office weekend include Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s The Cat in the Hat, which opened to a US$30.5 million global haul, with US$20.5 million being from domestic markets. The film, which stars Bill Hader as the titular character, follows him on an adventure as he becomes an agent for the I.I.I.I (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC).
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
