Takashi Yamazaki and Toho’s R-rated sequel Godzilla Minus Zero
is storming the North American box office with an estimated $6 million in previews, far outpacing Warner Bros, according to Deadline. Animation’s new family offering The Cat in the Hat,
which brought in $1 million from previews that began at 2 p.m. The strong start positions the kaiju epic for a domestic opening weekend between $30 million and $35 million across 3,254 North American theaters, according to industry forecasts.
Godzilla Sequel Shatters Distributor Records
The preview haul for Godzilla Minus Zero
includes fan screenings from Godzilla Day on Tuesday, Wednesday night, and Thursday shows starting at 10 a.m, according to TheWrap. The figure shatters previous records for U.S. distributor GKIDS, eclipsing the $2.39 million preview total posted by The Boy and the Heron
in 2023. It also towers over the $2.1 million in previews collected by Godzilla Minus One,
which went on to open to $11.4 million in 2023 before finishing its domestic run with $57.1 million and a global total of nearly $114 million.
By comparison, The Cat in the Hat,
directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, is tracking a domestic opening of $20 million to $25 million from 4,000 domestic venues, according to Variety.
IMAX Support Propels International Earnings
Godzilla Minus Zero
is benefiting from strong support on premium large formats and IMAX screens, marking the first Japanese production ever filmed for IMAX. In Japan, the film reached 1.38 billion yen or $8.7 million through its first three days.
Critics have given the sequel a 91% rating, with Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman calling the movie an even grander follow-up to ‘Godzilla Minus One.’
The film holds an R rating for bloody violence and kaiju carnage, directed by Takashi Yamazaki and starring a returning cast including Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Sakura Ando, Miou Tanaka, Min Tanaka, Masami Nagasawa, and Jun Kunimura, alongside Yuki Yamada.
'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
Postwar Japan Faces New Extraterrestrial Threat
Set in 1949, the narrative returns to postwar Japan as the nation works to recover and rebuild. The story picks up two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One,
where pilot Koichi Shikishima flew an explosives-laden plane into the prehistoric reptile’s mouth. As a surviving chunk of the monster regenerates at the bottom of Sagami Bay, Japan finds itself susceptible to a new extraterrestrial threat. The filmmaker focuses on the human characters, centering the narrative on the Shikishima family as Koichi lives in Tokyo alongside Noriko and the orphaned girl Akiko, with neighbor Sumiko stepping in to help care for the household. Returning figures also include engineer Noda and Hiroshima survivor Professor Murakami.
Other Releases Enter Weekend Marketplace
Rounding out the newcomers, Searchlight’s dark buddy comedy Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and directed by Martin McDonagh, is targeting an opening of $4 million to $7 million from roughly 1,000 screens. Meanwhile, Sony is distributing the Indian epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend
in 1,300 theaters—marking the widest North American release for an Indian film.
Earlier coverage: Godzilla Minus Zero Earns $6M in U.S. Previews