Godzilla Minus Zero Stomps Expectations With Box Office Opening Weekend

Godzilla Minus Zero crushed expectations with a strong $63 million in its opening weekend at the global box office.

Director Takashi Yamazaki’s Minus One sequel performed in theaters with an estimated $31.6 million domestically and $31.4 million internationally. That’s at least a few stories above distributor domestic projections, which had Godzilla propped up to open in the mid-to-low $20 million range (via The Hollywood Reporter), securing its title as the biggest opening for a live-action foreign language film ever.

“War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus,” an official description said. “Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here.”

Godzilla Minus Zero Images

Where its predecessor focused on one lone pilot named Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who found himself caught in the middle of post-war Japan’s first run-in with Godzilla, Godzilla Minus Zero turned the focus to a new, otherworldly threat: King Ghidorah. Toho has mostly done its best to keep the classic kaiju antagonist’s design a secret in the lead-up to the sequel’s release, so don’t worry, we won’t spoil anything here. Although images and even shoddy theater recordings have polluted the internet in the few days since the film’s release, the Godzilla vs. Ghidorah rematch almost certainly played a part in encouraging audiences to buy a ticket early.

Godzilla Minus Zero also pulled in $21.3 million in global IMAX returns alone, breaking the record for an opening for a Japanese IMAX film. Booming audio aside, Godzilla has been going strong for the last decade or so. While films like the brutal Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla helped reclaim the King of the Monsters’ crown as a theatrical force to be reckoned with, Legendary has also kept other audiences entertained with its take on the character.

Included in a cinematic universe known as the Monsterverse, this version of Godzilla has appeared in everything from a 2014 standalone film to team-ups with King Kong. The most recent arrived with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024, with another sequel, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, due out in March of next year.

Legendary’s Monsterverse has benefited from solid box office returns, but Yamazaki’s vision for Godzilla has earned the atomic lizard critical acclaim. More than three years removed from its 2023 release date, Godzilla Minus One still boasts a 99% from critics and 98% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (IGN gave it an 8/10). It also famously won an Oscar for VFX at the 96th Academy Awards. Godzilla Minus Zero holds an admittedly lower 90% from critics and 96% from audiences on the review aggregating website. IGN’s 7/10 review said the sequel “ups the ante on the carnage” but didn’t quite manage to have the same impact with its human characters.

“Godzilla Minus Zero doesn’t disappoint in the slightest on the kaiju front,” we said, “but does lack the same level of emotional resonance that its predecessor held.”

Time will tell if Godzilla Minus Zero is looked back upon as fondly as the film it follows. In the meantime, the kaiju and his three-headed archnemesis are enjoying their time as kings of the worldwide box office. Competition for the weekend included Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, which earned $55.7 million, and the new animated Dr. Seuss movie, The Cat in the Hat, which earned $30.5 million.

Elsewhere at the box office, we had Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary, You Can See Everything, which continued to attract eyes with another $8.8 million for the weekend and $79.8 million total, domestically. DC Studios’ Clayface’s domestic total is now at $56.6 million, with its global haul hardening at $109 million.

Godzilla Minus Zero also stars Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, and Min Tanaka as Kanji Murakami. Despite the movie’s promise of “no third time,” Yamazaki recently said he’s “fifty-fifty” on whether or not he’ll return for another sequel.

For a better idea of how the story could continue with Godzilla Plus One (or whatever it ends up being called), you can read IGN’s spoiler-y breakdown of Godzilla Minus Zero’s ending. You can also check out how we think the rest of Godzilla’s rogues’ gallery could be utilized, and then read about the household inspiration for the movie’s final fight.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).