BEAST MODE

‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Crushes Box Office Record in Opening Weekend

The ‘Cat in the Hat’ didn’t have as successful of a weekend.

Godzilla Minus Zero has scored the biggest opening for a foreign-language live-action film in North America. The Japanese-produced film topped domestic box office charts over the weekend with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters. The movie is the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, which follows Godzilla’s rampage through post-World War II Japan. The sequel, produced by Toho and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, has a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. “We’re so happy to see audiences embrace ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ at an unprecedented scale for an international film,” says Chance Huskey, VP of distribution for Gkids, the movie’s U.S. distributor. “This landmark release is the result of a thoughtful campaign by Gkids and Toho that emphasized the ‘must see’ intensity of the theatrical experience.” Warner Bros.’s The Cat in the Hat wasn’t as successful. The animated children’s movie earned just $20 million at the domestic box office in its debut weekend. This year has been tough for the studio that was also responsible for box office flops Digger, The Bride! and Supergirl. “Family animation does extremely well in ancillary windows, earning more in digital sales and rental, streaming and TV licensing than in theatrical,” movie industry newsletter publisher David A. Gross said.