The R-rated sequel Godzilla Minus Zero
earned approximately $6 million in U.S. previews, according to Deadline, setting a new preview record for distributor GKIDS. Tuesday night sessions alone generated more than $4 million of that total.
The film is projected to earn roughly $30 million from 3,254 North American theaters.
Godzilla outpaces domestic competitors
The sequel is projected to outpace Warner Bros. Animation’s The Cat in the Hat,
which is tracking for a much lower opening. Filmmakers Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja directed The Cat in the Hat,
which has a net budget of $86 million.
The franchise builds on previous success
The momentum for Godzilla Minus Zero
follows the performance of the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One.
That installment earned nearly $114 million at the worldwide box office. TheWrap reported it earned $57.1 million in the U.S. and Canada.
'Godzilla Minus Zero' is projected to open with ~$60M at the global box office 💰 It's expected to have the biggest foreign-language domestic opening of 2026 pic.twitter.com/05GzQF6g9D
Godzilla Minus One
also earned an Oscar for visual effects. Those effects were created on a $15 million budget. Per Variety, the film saw a domestic opening of $11.4 million.
In Japan, Godzilla Minus Zero
has already seen traction, according to Deadline. The opening day gross is a record for a live-action film in Japan. This total surpassed the opening day of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
.
New threats arrive in New York
The trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero
(2026) shows Godzilla in New York.
Ryûnosuke Kamiki returns as Koichi Shikishima. Minami Hamabe plays Noriko Oishi, who survived Godzilla’s first attack on Tokyo. Sae Nagatani plays Akiko, while Sakura Ando stars as a neighbor named Sumiko.
‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’ is tracking to open around $60M worldwide. Read our review: https://t.co/hNkhKvSMVo pic.twitter.com/4nzP6nP8bv
The cast also features Masami Nagasawa and Hidetaka Yoshioka as engineer Kenji Noda. Min Tanaka plays Professor Murakami, a Hiroshima survivor.
The film received an R rating for bloody violence and maximum kaiju carnage, according to The Boston Globe. This sequel is the first Japanese production ever filmed for IMAX. Variety expects this to boost performance in premium large formats.
Kazuaki Kishida produced the film. Visual effects were by Takashi Yamazaki and music was by Naoki Satô. The production is a collaboration between Toho Studios and Robot Communications.
Weekend box office projections
The following table outlines the domestic opening weekend forecasts for the primary films debuting this weekend:
| Film Title | Distributor | Forecasted Opening Range |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Horse Nine | Disney | $4 million — $8 million |
| Drummer Boy | Angel | $4.5 million — $9.5 million |
The figures for Godzilla Minus Zero,
The Cat in the Hat,
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,
Wild Horse Nine,
Drummer Boy,
and Jimmy
are based on weekend forecasts provided by Box Office Theory.
Earlier coverage: Godzilla Minus Zero Projected to Earn $25M-$35M in US Debut