'Godzilla Minus Zero' Roars to $31.6 Million, a Record for Foreign-Language Film

Takashi Yamazaki's "Godzilla Minus Zero" opened to $31.6 million in North America, the biggest debut ever for a live-action foreign-language film. The figure shattered the previous benchmark of $17.8 million, set in 2002 by Zhang Yimou's wuxia epic "Hero." Globally, the kaiju sequel has already earned $63 million.

The record caps a year of unlikely box office winners. Sequels and comic-book films such as "Toy Story 5" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" still dominate the charts, but the variety beneath them has widened considerably. Audiences have turned out in force for films that defied conventional wisdom:

• "Project Hail Mary," an original science-fiction adventure: $684.6 million worldwide
• "Obsession" and "Backrooms," two low-budget horror films from 20-something directors with YouTube pedigree: $524.3 million and $400.6 million worldwide respectively
• "The Odyssey," an adaptation of the Greek epic: $1.8 billion worldwide
• "You Can See Everything," a three-hour documentary about a Silicon Valley fraud: $73.7 million and counting

The pattern is clear: people are looking for something different.

What does the record change for Japanese cinema?

For "Godzilla Minus Zero," the groundwork was laid at home. Its predecessor, 2023's "Godzilla Minus One," was an unexpected sleeper hit that grossed $57.1 million. Yet the first film opened to a mere $11.4 million, which means its audience grew substantially on home entertainment before returning to theaters for the sequel.

The new film is now poised to bypass its predecessor and become the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in history. Yamazaki returned to direct and to handle the special effects. Japan's Tojo produced the film, and GKids distributed it in the United States.

The result also confirms that subtitles are no barrier to commercial success. Netflix and other streamers established the principle with local-language hits such as "Squid Game," "Money Heist" and "Lupin." Multiplexes tell the same story, with U.S. audiences filling auditoriums for "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).

The outsized grosses for "Godzilla Minus Zero" probably mean audiences have not heard the last of the fire-breathing kaiju.

What happened to the competition?

The monster movie made quick work of its main rival. Warner Bros. Animation's "The Cat in the Hat" stumbled with $20 million domestically and $30 million globally. The family film cost $92 million to produce.

The misfire extends a losing streak for Warner Bros., which was recently purchased by Skydance. Insiders say the studio has lost hundreds of millions of dollars on failed releases including "Digger," "Supergirl" and "The Bride!" — and "The Cat in the Hat" will do little to mop up the red ink.

With a record debut, a global haul approaching its predecessor's total and a franchise-friendly ending, "Godzilla Minus Zero" positions Japanese genre cinema — and its director-effects chief Yamazaki — as a durable force in the global theatrical market.