Toho and GKIDS’ sequel Godzilla Minus Zero topped the North American box office on Friday, November 6, 2026, pulling in $14.5 million across 3,254 theaters according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. That opening day total includes $6.7 million from preview screenings and puts the film on track for an estimated $32 million three-day debut, comfortably ahead of Warner Bros.’ animated The Cat in the Hat at No. 2 with a projected $18 million.
Competing industry estimates are nearly as high. Citing Deadline, The Main Street Mouse reported a $13.5 million Friday total (including the $6.7 million in previews) and projected a $30 million to $33 million weekend. Either result clears GKIDS’ initial projection in the mid-$20 millions and makes the monster sequel the clear leader of a crowded frame that also brought the debuts of Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, Drummer Boy, Wild Horse Nine, and Club Kid.
Why the Opening Sets a Foreign-Language Benchmark
At an estimated $32 million, Godzilla Minus Zero is set to record the highest-grossing North American opening ever for a live-action foreign-language movie, passing the $17.8 million debut of Zhang Yimou’s Hero in 2004. Among all foreign-language launches, it trails last year’s animated Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which opened to $70.6 million. Mel Gibson’s 2004 release The Passion of the Christ opened to $83.8 million in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew, though box office trackers exclude it from the foreign-language import category because it was an American-produced project.
Because studios split ticket revenue with theater chains on a modest production budget reported in the mid-teens of millions, the opening gives Toho and GKIDS an immediate theatrical windfall. The sequel is already outpacing 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, which opened to $11.4 million in North America on its way to $57.1 million domestically and $56.9 million internationally before becoming the first Japanese feature to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
How the Weekend’s Wide Releases Are Performing
Godzilla Minus Zero
Written, directed, and visual-effects-supervised by Takashi Yamazaki with effects work by Shirogumi, the R-rated, 135-minute sequel reunites actors Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, and Min Tanaka in postwar Japan two years after the first film, as the country faces attacks from the three-headed Ghidorah and a potential return of Godzilla. It is the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, and its $6.7 million North American preview haul (including $2 million from Tuesday Godzilla Day screenings) set a domestic preview record for GKIDS after an $8.7 million opening in Japan on November 3. North American ticket buyers gave the film an A CinemaScore, and it holds a 90 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, where The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney called it a “thrilling jolt of marauding monster action.”
The Cat in the Hat
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s 91-minute PG adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book earned $6 million on Friday across 4,003 North American theaters, including $1 million from Thursday previews, heading toward an $18 million weekend. Directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni, the film stars Bill Hader as the voice of the feline alongside Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, and Xochitl Gomez, and is the studio division’s first release since Bill Damaschke became president and chief creative officer in 2023. The $92 million production fell slightly behind Warner Bros.’ $20 million opening projection and drew a 45 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck describing it as more tiring than fun. However, it earned an A CinemaScore from audiences, and the studio is counting on family word of mouth through Thanksgiving and December. Its critical reception tops Universal’s 2003 live-action Mike Myers version, which scored 11 percent on Rotten Tomatoes after opening to $38.3 million toward a $101 million domestic total on a $109 million budget.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend
Released by Sony Pictures and Prime Focus Studios across 1,433 North American theaters, director Nitesh Tiwari’s epic about the life of Prince Rama recorded the widest domestic rollout ever for an Indian film. The movie earned $2.4 million on Friday and is on pace for roughly $7.3 million over the three-day weekend. Built on a reported two-film production budget of $420 million and above, the release holds a 76 percent critics rating and an 89 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Drummer Boy
Angel Studios’ PG-13 historical drama about an American Revolutionary War bond, directed by brothers Ben and Joel David Smallbone and starring Joel David Smallbone alongside Lucas Leach, grossed $3.5 million on Friday from 2,850 North American theaters. The 96-minute faith-based feature is projected to finish the weekend near $7.9 million, supported by an A CinemaScore, a 93 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and a 50 percent score from critics.
What Happens Next
Distributors will release full Friday-through-Sunday domestic weekend estimates on Sunday, November 8, followed by final audited studio actuals on Monday, November 9.