2026’s Godzilla Minus Zero, which debuts in domestic theaters on November 6, is the 34th Japanese-language installment in the long-running kaiju franchise and a direct sequel to the 2023 smash hit Godzilla Minus One (which grossed $116 million against a reported $10 million budget and won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects). Original filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki has returned as writer, director, and VFX lead for the movie, reteaming with stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe as ex-kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima and his wife Noriko Shikishima respectively.
Per Variety, Godzilla Minus Zero is projected to earn a 3-day domestic gross of $30 million during its impending opening weekend, which would see it conquering its new release competitors, including the animated tentpole The Cat in the Hat (which is expected to earn between $20 and $25 million) and the new Martin McDonagh movie Wild Horse Nine (which is projected to debut with $5 to $7 million). This sees the movie smashing the all-time record for the biggest domestic debut for a Japanese Godzilla movie.
Below, see a breakdown of the performance of all the Godzilla movies to have received a major domestic release since the mid-1980s:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
While it is true that the American Godzilla movies have all performed consistently better than the expected debut of Godzilla Minus Zero, the movie’s current projections see it being just shy of the $32.2 million domestic debut of the American crossover installment Godzilla vs. Kong. Meanwhile, it is set to earn nearly triple what Godzilla Minus One made during its opening weekend, and that installment was previously the record-holder for the Japanese branch of the franchise.
It is also set to become the first Japanese Godzilla movie to ever open at No. 1 at the domestic box office, presuming it is not usurped by The Cat in the Hat. Previously, Godzilla Minus One was the first to open in the domestic Top 10 with a debut at No. 3, behind the new release Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé ($21.8 million) and the sophomore weekend of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ($14.2 million).
If it has a similar trajectory to the record-smashing Godzilla Minus One, Godzilla Minus Zero could potentially earn more than $275 million worldwide by the end of its run. Given the current state of the global box office chart, that total would make the movie the 20th highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far, outgrossing major movies including Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day ($247.2 million), Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights ($241.8 million), the record-breaking slasher sequel Scream 7 ($208 million), and the Colleen Hoover thriller Verity ($173.1 million).
Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.
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Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the new movie can operate at a similar level. While Godzilla Minus Zero reviews have been stellar, earning it a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes so far, it can’t quite compare to Godzilla Minus One‘s Certified Fresh 99%. The 2023 movie also has a Verified Hot audience score of 98%, which will make it a formidable opponent on that front as well.
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Godzilla Minus Zero
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Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.Ryunosuke Kamiki
Koichi Shikishima
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Minami Hamabe
Noriko Oishi
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Min Tanaka
Kanji Murakami
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Hidetaka Yoshioka
Kenji Noda
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