《Godzilla-0.0》(Godzilla Minus Zero) North America opened with US$31.6 million, setting a new GKids record

 《Godzilla-0.0》(Godzilla Minus Zero)$31.6 millionThe film topped the box office in its first weekend in North America, setting an opening record for publisher GKids and nearly three times the opening performance of its predecessor.The Cat in the Hat, released the same week, had a much more modest start with $20.5 million.This is - The Hollywood Reporter - weekend estimates updated on November 8. The rankings of some films are still adjusted with final data.

Image: GKIDS.

GKids and Toho bring Godzilla Minus Zero to 3,254 North American theaters.It became the highest opening for a live-action foreign-language film in North America since 2004's Heroes, which opened with $17.8 million.The scope of comparison here needs to be distinguished: last year's animation - Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle - had an opening of US$70.6 million; 2004 - The Passion of the Christ - had US$83.8 million, but it was produced in the United States and was not included in this foreign language film category.GKids’ original record was US$13 million for the 2023 Oscar-winning animated film The Boy and the Heron.

This is also the first Japanese-produced film shot in the IMAX format. North American IMAX screenings contributed US$12 million, accounting for approximately 40“ of the total score.The film also earned $31.4 million outside North America, including $17 million in Japan.The audience gave CinemaScore an A-level evaluation, and the opening performance exceeded the publisher's original expectations of approximately US$25 million.The sequel, directed by Takashi Yamazaki and starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and Minami Tanaka, has a reported budget of more than $10 million and takes place in post-war Japan, involving the attack of the three-headed monster Ghidorah and the possible return of Godzilla.Rotten Tomatoes has a review score of 90” from critics and a 96“ audience score; David Rooney, the magazine's chief film critic, said it brings thrilling impact with action scenes of monsters wreaking havoc.

GKids Vice President of Distribution Chance Huskey attributed this achievement to the company's distribution promotion with Toho, emphasizing the intensity of the theatrical experience "must be seen with one's own eyes" and Takashi Yamazaki's creation.He said he was delighted that the audience embraced this work on a scale rarely seen in international films.Yamazaki Takaya thanked those who rushed to the theater right after the show started, saying that he had admired Hollywood movies since he was a child and had been chasing them throughout his career. It felt like a dream to see his Godzilla being so warmly welcomed by audiences around the world and watched by so many people.

The previous film - Godzilla - 1.0 - (Godzilla Minus One) opened in North America in December 2023, with US$11.4 million in its first weekend, and ultimately accumulated US$57.1 million in North America, and another US$56.9 million outside North America, and became the first Japanese film to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

According to Rentrak statistics, the overall box office in North America this weekend was approximately US$121.7 million, an increase of approximately 98” from last week and an increase of approximately 45“ from the same weekend in 2025.Last week coincided with Halloween, and studios rarely scheduled new films; last year, the one that was released on the same weekend was Predator: Badlands.The cumulative box office in North America in 2026 has reached US$8.625 billion, 20.6” higher than the same period last year. Although it is still difficult to produce popular movies in October this year that can continue to be screened until late autumn.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Warner's The Cat in the Hat earned $20.5 million from 4,003 North American theaters, which was in line with studio estimates but lower than two previous Dr. Seuss animated adaptations: Universal's 2018's The Grinch, which opened with $67.5 million, and 2012's The Lorax, which opened with $70.2 million.The new film has a budget of US$92 million and a CinemaScore of A. Warner hopes that word-of-mouth will help it continue into Thanksgiving and December.On November 25th, Disney - Hexed - will bring new competition.Overseas, it earned 10 million US dollars this weekend, and about half of the regions will release it before the end of the year.The report reminded that the overseas performance of Dr. Seuss adaptations has not always been outstanding. If the film lacks sufficient box office stamina, it may join Warner Bros. this year - Bride!《(The Bride!), 》(Digger), etc. are among the ranks of frustrated works.

Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni direct this animated adaptation of the 1957 classic children's book, about a cat who gets one last chance to prove himself when he helps a brother and sister.Bill Hader leads the voice cast, with Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, and Sochiel Gomez also participating.It is Bill Damaschke's first work after taking over as president and chief creative officer of Warner Films Animation in 2023.The Rotten Tomatoes critic review rating is 46“, and the audience score is 87”; film critic Frank Scheck believes that watching it is more tiring than enjoyable.Still, it was better than Universal's 2003 live-action version of the same name starring Mike Myers, which received 11“ positive reviews from critics.The live-action film opened with $38.3 million and ended up with $101 million in North America on a production budget of $109 million.

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, released by Sony and produced by Prime Focus Studios, earned approximately US$8.6 million over the weekend in 1,433 North American theaters and a total of US$12.1 million over four days, setting the largest distribution scale for an Indian film in North America.The film earned US$32 million in India and US$11.5 million from 37 overseas markets.The religious epic directed by Nitesh Tiwari revolves around Prince Rama. The combined budget of the two films is reported to be more than US$420 million. It has a Rotten Tomatoes review rating of 76” and an audience score of 89“.

Image: Sony Pictures.

Angel Studios' "Drummer Boy" opened in 2,850 North American theaters and earned $9.3 million, also entering the top five competition this week.Directed by Ben and Joel David Smallbone, with Joel also starring, this historical musical with a religious background tells the story of an unexpected friendship during the American Revolutionary War.The CinemaScore is A, with a Rotten Tomatoes critic rating of 50” and an audience score of 94“.Reports believe that Angel’s foundation among faith-based audiences helped the release.Joel said in a statement that it took eight years of failure and success for the film to reach the screen. Now that this personal story has entered the hearts of hundreds of thousands of viewers, he was deeply moved.

Also competing for the top five is the A24 documentary You Can See Everything.Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's film about Elizabeth Holmes is expected to take in another $8.8 million this weekend, bringing the North American total to about $79.7 million.The final ranking between it and Ramayana: Rise of a Legend and Drummer Boy still needs to be based on the settlement results.

Searchlight's Wild Horse Nine opened in 1,100 North American theaters and earned an estimated $6 million over the weekend.Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi, the story tells the story of two CIA agents who traveled from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island in 1973.The film is a comedy thriller and one of the films competing for the Oscars this season. It has a Rotten Tomatoes critic rating of 94” and an audience score of 91%. Rooney described it as having a unique appeal.

Photography: Diego Araya Corvalán, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

The Jimmy Stewart biopic Jimmy, distributed by Burns & Co and Fathom Entertainment, is expected to gross $2 million from 1,470 North American theaters, probably outside the top ten.KJ Apa plays Stewart and is directed by Aaron Burns.Scheck affirmed that Apa's performance was top-notch, but also believed that the movie was too emotional, which turned out to be a shortcoming.

Image: Courtesy of Burns Co.

In terms of small-scale openings, A24 put "Club Kid" in six theaters and earned US$390,583, with a single theater average of US$65,097, the highest this week.Jordan Firstman directs and stars in his feature film debut, playing a party promoter who suddenly learns that he has a ten-year-old son.The film has previously received attention in Cannes and will be expanded during Thanksgiving. Rotten Tomatoes critics rated it 100“. Richard Lawson, the magazine's film critic, called it likeable and smart.Amazon-MGM's "I Play Rocky" earned approximately $345,000 from seven theaters, or approximately $49,200 per theater.Directed by Peter Ferrari, Anthony Ippolito plays Sylvester Stallone, telling the behind-the-scenes production of Rocky in 1976.The film received an 88” positive rating from critics, and Rooney said it evoked a warm feeling of nostalgia.

Among old films, Black Bear's "The Wicker Man" (Wicker) only fell 23“ in its third weekend, collecting another US$3.3 million, with a total of US$19.8 million in North America and another US$9.1 million overseas.Starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, and directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, this romantic fantasy film is reported to have a good reputation. It has a Rotten Tomatoes review rating of 94” and an audience score of 92%. It is expected to be at the bottom of the top ten this week.

Next week sees Johnny Depp's return to major studio productions with Ebenezer, as well as How to Rob a Bank and Paper Tiger.