Godzilla Minus Zero” Stomps the Box Office With a $31.6M Opening

A Japanese monster movie just beat a Dr Seuss adaptation with a famous cat. Godzilla Minus Zero opened at number one this weekend with about $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters, and roughly $63 million worldwide so far. It reportedly cost only $13 to $15 million to make.

The comparison with the previous film is the fun part. Godzilla Minus One was a surprise hit and an Oscar winner for its effects. The sequel is already among the biggest openings ever for a foreign-language live-action movie. Outlets disagree on whether it’s the record or second place. It’s also described as the best start ever for GKids, the distributor.

Meanwhile, The Cat in the Hat came in second at $20.5 million. Rotten Tomatoes lists its budget at $86 million and says it opened below earlier Seuss films. Warner Bros. now has 13 films in a row that didn’t reach $100 million. Drummer Boy took third with $9.3 million, and last week’s leader, You Can See Everything, slid to fourth.

So the story is a small-budget film with word of mouth outselling a big-budget family title. For anyone watching how audiences pick movies, that’s a pretty loud signal.