New Godzilla Epic Set to Stomp Major Box Office Records Ahead of Opening Weekend

Godzilla movies have been dominating cinema ever since the first was released in the 1950s. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) remains the most-attended Godzilla film in Japan’s history; Godzilla (2014) made over $500 million worldwide; and Godzilla Minus One ranks as the third-highest-grossing non-English-language film at the U.S. box office (even surpassing Parasite).

Today, the franchise includes 39 movies in its portfolio (34 Japanese films and 5 American films) and remains a cornerstone of special effects in movies. Its latest epic, Godzilla Minus Zero, proves this franchise shows no signs of slowing down either.

A direct sequel to Takashi Yamazaki’s Academy Award-winning film, Godzilla Minus One, Godzilla Minus Zero has incredible hype going into its release. The ratings for its predecessor came in with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score — the highest in the entire franchise — and marked the biggest opening weekend ever for a Japanese live-action film in the US at $11.4 million. Now, Godzilla Minus Zero is projected to make almost three times that much domestically.

Leading into its opening weekend, Godzilla Minus Zero is looking to dominate the box office with an impressive $30 million from over 3,000 North American theaters, according to Variety. If it holds, this will become the highest-grossing opening weekend for a Japanese Godzilla film in the franchise’s history, surpassing Godzilla Minus One’s current $11.4 million record. It would also make Godzilla Minus Zero the first foreign-language film to top weekend charts since Chainsaw Man, according to the Global Box Office.

Overseas, the movie is already smashing records too, earning a historic ¥910 million (approximately $5.75 million USD) on its opening day in Japan, the highest opening-day gross for a live-action film in Japanese theaters.

In line with its box-office domination, the sci-fi epic is receiving strong critical reviews as well, sitting at a certified fresh 89% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of reporting. Fans of the universe will be excited to read FandomWire‘s take that the film’s director, Takashi Yamazaki, “raises the stakes with bolder visuals and relentless suspense,” and that JoBlo’s Movie Network says Godzilla Minus Zero “puts many Hollywood blockbusters to shame.” To add even more power to its already massive scale, this is also the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX.

Set two years after the prior Godzilla film, this latest imagining follows Japan’s struggle to reclaim its daily life after its previous encounter with Godzilla. But when a new catastrophic threat emerges, scientists are forced to summon the beast that had once caused havoc in their cities in order to save it. Things are looking strong for the film’s opening weekend, already smashing multiple box office records in its wake. Though now, it’s up to the moviegoers to decide where the fate of this monstrous tale rests.

Also premiering this weekend, The Cat in the Hat (projected to earn $20 million to $25 million) and Wild Horse Nine ($5 million to $7 million) are opening in theaters nationwide, potentially taking second and third place, respectively, at the U.S. box office.