The Cat in the Hat was no match for the mighty Godzilla. “Godzilla Minus Zero” soared to the top of the box office with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters, a stellar debut for a foreign-language epic in North America. Meanwhile, “The Cat in the Hat” stumbled with $20 million from 4,003 shoots, a weak start for an animated film based on one of the best-known children’s books of all time.
Ticket sales for “Godzilla Minus Zero” are the biggest opening for a foreign-language live-action film in North America, breaking the record set by the Chinese martial arts-inspired “Hero” with $17.8 million in 2002. The R-rated sequel to “Godzilla” has enjoyed excellent reviews and strong audience scores (90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” rating on CinemaScore exit polls), as well as a disproportionate interest from premiums. large formats. It was the first Japanese production ever filmed for Imax, and the company’s bigger, brighter screens contributed $12.7 million, or 40 percent, of the domestic takings. It’s not just Imax that has won over the public. PLFs, including Dolby, accounted for 74% of ticket sales. For comparison, “The Odyssey” collected 53% of PLF opening weekend returns.
“We are very excited to see audiences embrace ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ on an unprecedented scale for an international film,” said Chance Huskey, vice president of distribution for Gkids, which distributed the film in the United States. The film was produced by the Japanese company Toho. “This historic release is the result of a thoughtful campaign by Gkids and Toho that emphasized the ‘must-have’ intensity of the theatrical experience.”
“Godzilla Minus Zero” builds on the success of the previous kaiju adventure, 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One.” The sci-fi epic got a better-than-expected $11.4 million start and grossed $57 million in North America and $113 million worldwide, in addition to winning an Oscar for visual effects. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film takes place two years after the previous installment as Godzilla regenerates and resurfaces to fight a new monster plaguing post-war Japan.
“‘Godzilla’ is a hit,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the FranchiseRe box office newsletter. “Reviews and audience scores are once again exceptional. This weekend’s premiere takes Japanese production to a new level.”
“The Cat in the Hat” was well received by audiences, earning an “A” grade on CinemaScore, which could help with box office longevity. Reviews weren’t as kind, giving the film a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. Bill Hader voices the title character in the caricatured version, which revolves around the shenanigans that occur after a mischievous cat (wearing a hat) arrives to cheer up two siblings who are moving to a new town. Overseas, “The Cat in the Hat” collected just $10 million from 60 international markets, for a global debut of $30.5 million. Unless “The Cat in the Hat” rebounds in the coming weeks, the $92 million-budgeted film will be another dud for Warner Bros. (Theater owners keep about 50 percent of ticket sales.) The studio, which recently merged with Paramount Skydance, had a brutal year at the box office with failures including “Digger,” “The Bride!” and “Supergirl,” which resulted in hundreds of millions in theatrical losses.
This is the second adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic following the 2003 live-action comedy, starring Mike Myers as the Cat. That film opened at $38 million, not adjusted for inflation, and ran out of steam with $134 million, a disappointing result considering the budget was over $100 million. More recently, Dr. Seuss adaptations like 2018’s “The Grinch” (which opened to $67 million) and 2012’s “The Lorax” (which opened to $70 million) have been big hits for Universal and Illumination. Yes, the theatrical landscape has changed a lot since the release of these films. But “The Cat in the Hat” is based on popular intellectual property and had no competition. (Families with young children haven’t had much to see since Universal’s “Forgotten Island” in September.) Even “Hoppers,” a Disney and Pixar original offering from this spring, managed to debut to $45 million.
“It’s a soft opening,” Gross says. “However, the family animation is doing extremely well in ancillary windows, earning more in digital sales and rentals, streaming, and TV licensing than in theaters. This is where the film is expected to recoup its costs.”
In total, this weekend reached $114 million for all films combined, an increase of 86% compared to the same period a year ago, when “Predator: Badlands” was No. 1 at the box office. Meanwhile, year-to-date revenue reached $8.6 billion, 20% higher than in 2025, according to Rentrak. Exhibitors hope that momentum continues through November, with the release of Paramount’s fantasy film “Ebenezer,” starring Johnny Depp, Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping,” Universal’s comedy “Focker in Law,” starring Ariana Grande alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, and Disney’s animated film “Hexed.”
“This is another encouraging sign as we head into the all-important Christmas movie season,” says Paul Dergarabedian, head of market trends at Rentrak.
Also this weekend, Searchlight’s dark comedy “Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and directed by Martin McDonagh, debuted at No. 8 with $6 million from 1,100 theaters. It’s a promising start for the Oscar contender, which has a much larger initial footprint than McDonagh’s previous film, 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” After debuting in limited release, “Banshees of Inisherin” became a slow and steady success at the box office with $10.5 million domestically and $50 million worldwide. “Wild Horse Nine” follows Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA officers sent from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before a Chilean military coup.
Another newcomer, the Indian epic “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,” earned $8.6 million over the traditional weekend and $12.1 million over its first four days of theatrical release. Sony is releasing “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” to 1,300 theaters, making it the largest North American release for an Indian film. Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic is the most expensive Indian film ever made, costing a total of $500 million to bring to screens. Globally, the film bowed to $55.7 million, led by India with $32 million, followed by the United Kingdom with $3 million.
“Indian epics do business in English-speaking countries, but they can make a fortune in India,” says Gross. “We’re going to have to make a fortune there.”
“Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” debuted in fifth place behind A24’s electric Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything.” The zeitgeist-capturing film grossed $8.8 million from 2,473 theaters in its fourth weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to $79.8 million. “You Can See Everything” will leave theaters as one of the greatest documentaries in decades. And it will be very profitable for A24, which produced the nearly three-hour film for $7 million.
“Drummer Boy,” a Christian musical from Angel Studios, landed at No. 3 with $9.3 million from 2,850 theaters. “Jimmy,” a faith biopic starring KJ Apa as actor and military veteran Jimmy Stewart, finished the weekend in 12th place with just $2.2 million from 1,470 theaters.
Elsewhere, A24’s heartwarming comedy “Club Kid” and Amazon MGM’s drama “I Play Rocky” were released in limited release. “Club Kid” earned $390,583 on six screens in New York and Los Angeles, or $65,097 per location. Jordan Firstman wrote, directed and starred in the film, which revolves around a partying club promoter who discovers he has a 10-year-old son. “I Play Rocky” grossed $345,000 from seven theaters, averaging $49,200 per location. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film depicts the real-life story of Sylvester Stallone bringing the 1976 classic “Rocky” to the big screen. Both films will be released nationwide around Thanksgiving.
“We are incredibly encouraged by the response to ‘I Play Rocky’ so far,” said Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution for Amazon MGM Studios. “The audience’s enthusiasm reinforces our belief that we have a film with both awards potential and commercial appeal.”
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