Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero has set a US box office record, earning an estimated $14.5 million on its opening day on November 6, movieweb.com reports.
Distributed across 3,254 cinemas by Toho’s American arm, the Japanese sci-fi thriller achieved the highest opening-day gross in history for a non-English-language live-action film in the United States.
The opening-day performance significantly outperformed industry expectations. Early tracking projections had estimated a total three-day weekend gross of $12 million to $15 million. With an average of $4,456 per screen on Friday, industry analysts project the film could generate more than $30 million over its opening weekend.
The release coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Godzilla franchise, which originated with Ishirō Honda’s 1954 classic Gojira. The performance follows the commercial success of its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, which grossed approximately $56 million domestically in late 2023 to become the highest-grossing Japanese live-action release in US history. That film subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Unlike the gradual rollout of the 2023 title, Toho opted for an expansive simultaneous release strategy in the US for Godzilla Minus Zero. The film has opened to strong critical reviews and positive audience reception, positioning foreign-language live-action releases for greater theatrical viability in the North American market.
The financial success of Godzilla Minus Zero highlights a shifting dynamic for subtitled films in the American theatrical market, expanding on ground broken by foreign-language awards hits such as Parasite and major Japanese anime releases. Produced at a fraction of the budget of typical Hollywood blockbusters, the production reflects growing domestic demand for original Japanese-language cinema.