Godzilla Minus Zero Could Make Box Office History For The Franchise

Despite being more than 70 years old, the “Godzilla” franchise is truly in the midst of its biggest moment ever. “Godzilla Minus One” was the first movie in the franchise to win an Oscar after becoming an unexpected global smash hit in 2023. All the while the MonsterVerse continued to rage on with movies like “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” Now, director Takashi Yamazaki is back with a sequel titled “Godzilla Minus Zero,” and he’s poised to potentially make box office history for this legendary property.

As of this writing, “Godzilla Minus Zero” is expected to earn between $25 and $35 million domestically when it debuts in theaters next weekend, per Box Office Theory. That would be far and away the biggest North American opening for a Japanese “Godzilla” movie ever. More importantly, if all goes well, this would mark the first time that a Japanese “Godzilla” film has ever topped the box office over a full weekend.

The only thing standing in the way? “The Cat in the Hat.” Warner Bros.’ new adaptation of the classic story is eyeing an identical $25 to $35 million opening. Since the 2003 “The Cat in the Hat” led to a ban on live-action Dr. Seuss movies, this one is animated and is expected to play for the family crowd. It could be a very tight race for the number one spot.

“Godzilla Minus Zero” takes place two years after the events of “Minus One.” In that time, Japan has faced agonizing struggles in its recovery efforts, even as it attempts to reclaim its daily life. But just as humanity manages to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant.

Regardless of its position on the charts when the numbers come in, “Godzilla Minus Zero” is poised to be a resounding success. “Minus One” opened to $11.4 million and was very leggy thanks to great word of mouth, ultimately taking in $114 million worldwide on a shockingly low $15 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing Japanese “Godzilla” movie ever. Now, its sequel is going to more than double that opening number, even on the low end of estimates.

Working in the sequel’s favor is critical opinion. It currently holds a stellar 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. If audiences agree, it’s easy to imagine this movie winding up on the higher end of projections. “Godzilla Minus Zero” also has a big advantage over its predecessor, namely a bigger budget. That means it’s sure to deliver in terms of spectacle, which should help its prospects even further in the U.S. The IMAX release will help boost revenue quite a bit, too.

Further aiding the cause, U.S. audiences have truly embraced this franchise in a big way over the last decade or so. 2024’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” became the highest-grossing “Godzilla” movie ever at the box office, taking in $572 million worldwide. This franchise has always had its fans, but it’s now even more so a part of mainstream culture in North America.

As further evidence of that, 2016’s “Shin Godzilla,” one of the best “Godzilla” movies of all time, made less than $2 million in the U.S. in total in its original run. Yet, the 2025 re-release took in more than $4 million. Interest has grown. That bodes very well for Takashi Yamazaki’s much-anticipated follow-up.

“Godzilla Minus Zero” hits theaters on November 6, 2026.