Godzilla Minus Zero opened to $31.6 million domestically across 3,254 North American theaters, establishing the highest-grossing opening weekend for a GKids release and the largest live-action foreign-language debut since 2004’s Hero, which launched with $17.8 million. The sequel, distributed by GKids and Toho, nearly tripled the $11.4 million opening of its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, released in December 2023. The film’s performance exceeded the distributor’s projected mid-$20 million domestic range, with audiences awarding it an A CinemaScore.
Director Takashi Yamazaki’s follow-up generated significant revenue from premium formats, collecting $12 million from Imax theaters, representing 40 percent of its domestic total. Internationally, the film earned $31.4 million, including $17 million from Japan. The movie features a reported mid-teens budget and stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and Min Tanaka. Critics responded favorably, with the film holding a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from reviewers and 96 percent from audiences.
In second place, Warner Bros.’ The Cat in the Hat generated $20.5 million domestically from 4,003 locations, in line with studio projections. The animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic children’s book, featuring voice work from Bill Hader, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson and Xochitl Gomez, received an A CinemaScore despite more modest critical reception with a 46 percent Rotten Tomatoes score from reviewers. The $92 million-budgeted film added $10 million internationally for the weekend.
Sony Pictures’ Ramayana: Rise of a Legend claimed the third position with $8.6 million domestically from 1,433 locations and $12.1 million across the four-day frame, marking the widest domestic launch ever for an Indian film. The religious epic, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, accumulated $32 million in India and $11.5 million from 37 additional overseas markets. The two-film project carried a reported budget exceeding $420 million and earned a 76 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside 89 percent from audiences.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI