Godzilla Minus Zero Sets New Record for Live-Action Foreign-Language Debut in North America
The sequel opened with $31.6 million, establishing the highest opening for a live-action foreign-language film in the United States and reaching $63 million worldwide.
The sequel "Godzilla Minus Zero" earned $31.6 million in its opening weekend, establishing the largest North American debut for a live-action foreign-language film, surpassing the previous record of $17.8 million set by the 2002 wuxia film "Hero." The film's worldwide total has risen to $63 million.
The strong performance follows a trend of diverse titles attracting sizable audiences, including original sci-fi "Project Hail Mary" ($684.6 million globally), low-budget horror entries such as "Obsession" ($524.3 million) and "Backrooms" ($400.6 million), and adaptations like "The Odyssey" ($1.8 billion). The earlier installment, "Godzilla Minus One," earned $57.1 million, while the original 2023 "Godzilla" opened with $11.4 million.
Directed and co-produced by Takashi Yamazaki and distributed in the United States by GKids, the film is expected to become the highest-grossing live-action Japanese movie in history. Its success adds to recent strong showings for subtitled titles, including "Parasite" ($53.8 million domestic), "Ne Zha 2" ($23.2 million domestic), and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle" ($136.9 million domestic).