Godzilla Minus Zero Scores A, Eyes North American Record

Crowds left theaters buzzing. Godzilla Minus Zero has earned the kind of early audience approval studios dream about: an A from CinemaScore.

The film opened its Friday run with 13.5 million dollars, a total that includes 6.7 million from pre-release screenings. Industry trackers now peg the North American opening between 30 and 33 million. With a projected $30–33 million debut, it could become the biggest domestic opening ever for a non-English live-action film.

That would be no small feat. The current benchmark belongs to 2002's Hero, which began its U.S. run with 17.8 million. If Godzilla Minus Zero sustains momentum, it won't just top that mark — it could do so by a comfortable margin, rewriting expectations for foreign-language live-action titles at the American box office. For distributor GKIDS, the stakes are equally high: this could be the company's largest opening to date.

Early sales also outpaced the previews for Godzilla Minus One, the previous entry that went on to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and became a critical darling. So far, fans seem eager to return to this Japanese take on the kaiju saga, and the sequel status only amplifies interest.

Audience sentiment beyond CinemaScore looks strong too. Rotten Tomatoes' audience score sits at an impressive 96 percent, a sign that early viewers are not only curious but genuinely pleased. Positive word-of-mouth could translate into staying power — provided the film holds up with later crowds and reviewers.

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki and positioned as a follow-up to Godzilla Minus One, the new entry underscores how the Japanese Godzilla franchise continues to attract international attention. Can a monster picture in a non-English tongue crack the American market at this scale? Keep an eye on the box office — tickets will tell the rest.