'Godzilla Minus Zero' stomps to a record-setting $31.6 debut, clobbering 'The Cat in the Hat'

Godzilla Minus Zero made a record-breaking $31.6 million over the weekend, shattering Warner Bros.' animated The Cat in the Hat's $20.5 million debut and setting a new high for a foreign-language film at North American theaters. Takashi Yamazaki's sequel to the 2023 Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One easily outperformed The Cat in the Hat, which opened overseas with $10 million.

The film, set in post-WWII Japan, is Toho's revival of its long-running franchise, emphasizing Yamazaki's return to the series' Japanese roots. No live-action foreign-language film has had a larger opening weekend, aside from 2004's The Passion of the Christ, which opened with $83.8 million despite its Aramaic dialogue. Last year's anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle debuted with $70.6 million, but Godzilla Minus Zero bested that mark for live-action films.

The weekend also saw the largest North American release for an Indian film, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, which grossed $8.7 million domestically and $32 million in India. Japanese and Indian films dominated the box office, with both films debuting in their home countries and reaching American audiences simultaneously. The historic opening highlights the worldwide appeal of Godzilla and the vision of Takashi Yamazaki.

With a budget under $20 million, Godzilla Minus Zero is expected to surpass its predecessor's record haul of $57.1 million. Both films were filmed in IMAX, further contributing to their success. The next Hollywood, English-language Godzilla movie, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, is set to release in March.