Godzilla Minus Zero Opens Strong, Threatens Ramayana's Box Office Crown

Godzilla Minus Zero opens in India on November 6 — and it’s already stomping the competition. The film, a Japanese sci-fi epic directed by Takashi Yamazaki, is set to launch with a $25 million opening in the US, according to JoBlo.com, making it one of the most successful subtitled releases in recent memory.

That number is especially striking given its non-English language and niche genre. It’s also getting an IMAX rollout, adding to its theatrical heft. In Japan, it opened to $5.7 million on day one, a strong start for a film that won Best Visual Effects at the Oscars last year. Its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, grossed $57 million globally after a $11.4 million debut.

Now, the sequel is poised to outperform even that momentum. But here’s the twist: it’s not just beating animated underperformers like The Cat in the Hat, which is expected to barely clear $20 million, it’s threatening to push Bollywood’s Ramayana into the shadows. According to JoBlo, Ramayana could land in fifth place with a $6 million opening, but that’s still speculative.