Takashi Yamazaki has done it again. His new sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One crushed competitors at movie theatres over the weekend. Godzilla Minus Zero brought in US$31.6 million (S$40.53 million) across North America.
It easily beat Warner Bros' animated release The Cat in the Hat, which features the voice of Bill Hader and debuted with US$20.5 million alongside US$10 million overseas, according to studio estimates on Sunday (Nov 7).
Record breaker for foreign films
Produced by Toho and distributed in North America by GKids, the film is set in post-WWII Japan. The release marks a massive win for live-action foreign language cinema, beating the US$17.9 million opening record set by 2004's Hero.
Overseas markets were also strong. Godzilla Minus Zero pulled in about US$17 million in Japan over the weekend. Meanwhile, large-format screens helped significantly, with IMAX contributing US$21.3 million globally, making up 34 per cent of its haul.
“This historic opening shows how deeply audiences around the world connect with Godzilla and with Takashi Yamazaki’s vision. Our first near-simultaneous global release was built on that belief.”Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global
Big weekend for Indian cinema too
The weekend also marked the widest North American release ever for an Indian film. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, distributed by Sony Pictures, debuted with US$8.7 million domestically and US$32 million in India.
The Hindi-language release is the most expensive Indian film ever made and is the first part of a two-part project.
What happens next
In March, Warner Bros. and Legendary will release Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.
