Godzilla Minus Zero earned an estimated $30 million to $33 million during its opening weekend at the domestic box office, setting a record for the biggest debut ever by a live-action foreign-language film in the United States. The Takashi Yamazaki-directed movie took in $13.5 million on Friday at 3,254 theaters, including $6.7 million from preview screenings. The opening surpasses the previous record held by the 2002 Chinese film Hero, which debuted to $17.8 million.
Distributor Gkids released the film, marking the company's largest opening to date. The movie carried an R rating and received a 96 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Preview screenings for Godzilla Minus Zero began Tuesday and exceeded those of several comparable releases, including Legendary's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which earned $6.3 million in Thursday previews in 2019 before opening to $47.7 million.
Warner Bros Animation's The Cat in the Hat placed second with a $5 million Friday, including $1 million in previews, heading toward a three-day total between $17 million and $20 million at 4,003 theaters. Angel Studios' Drummer Boy took third place with a $3.8 million Friday and an estimated $9 million opening at 2,850 theaters. A24's You Can See Everything ranked fourth in its fourth weekend with an estimated $8 million to $9 million.
Sony's release of Prime Focus Studios' Ramayana: Rise of the Legend, which opened at 1,433 theaters in the widest North American release for an Indian film, was projected to earn $6 million over three days. In Japan, Godzilla Minus Zero reached 1.38 billion yen, or $8.7 million, through its first three days, with its opening-day gross of 910 million yen setting a record for a live-action film in that market.