Godzilla Minus Zero is headed for an estimated $32 million North American opening weekend, the best ever for a live-action foreign-language film, after taking $14.5 million on Friday from 3,254 theaters.
Godzilla Minus Zero is headed for an estimated $32 million North American opening weekend, the best ever for a live-action foreign-language film, after taking $14.5 million on Friday from 3,254 theatres.
The projection, based on Deadline's Saturday-morning estimates, would beat the $17.8 million that Zhang Yimou's Hero opened to in 2004. About 74 percent of the weekend gross came from IMAX and premium large-format screens, a share Deadline called a never-before-seen figure. Audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore, matching its predecessor.
The opening nearly triples the $11.4 million debut of Godzilla Minus One, and the film is only the fourth non-English-language release ever to top the North American weekend box office.
The numbers are trade estimates, not final audited actuals. Deadline's Saturday projection has been reported consistently across ScreenRant, Cosmic Book News, Dark Horizons and The States Journal, which agree on the Friday figure and the theatre count. Full weekend estimates arrive on Sunday 8 November and final actuals on Monday 9 November, and the total can still shift.
A $32 million opening for a Japanese-language sequel shows how far premium-format screens have changed the arithmetic for foreign-language releases — nearly three-quarters of the money came from IMAX and large-format auditoriums, where the film's scale is the draw.
The record to watch on Monday is the final number. If the projection holds, the benchmark Hero held for 22 years will fall, and a sequel to an Oscar-winning film will have done it in its first three days.
People Sentiments Public Mood: Positive
- Deadline called the 74% IMAX and premium-format share a never-before-seen figure
- Trade coverage noted the opening nearly triples Godzilla Minus One's $11.4 million debut
- The film is only the fourth non-English-language release ever to top the North American weekend box office