Godzilla Minus Zero dominated this weekend’s box office, going up against The Cat in the Hat (2026), Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, and more.
As the global box office did not reach record-breaking numbers, one film stood above the rest. As the weekend raked in $114 million dollars across the whole weekend and globe, Godzilla Minus Zero roared into first place with $31.6 million dollars from theatres across North America. Meanwhile, The Cat in the Hat (2026) made a decent $20 million dollars domestically. Critics and movie industry writers commented that this was a disappointing performance for an animated movie based on the iconic Dr. Seuss story.
Godzilla Minus Zero set a new record for the largest opening for a live-action foreign film in North America, with the Jet Li-led movie Hero, which opened at $17.8 million dollars in 2002. The R-rated sequel film was praised by critics, even from CGMagazine’s own Shak Lambert, who rated the film a 10/10. Lambert wrote: “Minus Zero manages to not only be as masterful as its predecessor; it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year, and one of the best Godzilla films I’ve ever seen.” This was also the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, among other premium formats.
“We’re so happy to see audiences embrace Godzilla Minus Zero at an unprecedented scale for an international film,” says VP of distribution for Gkids, Chance Huskey, who distributed the film in the U.S. “This landmark release is the result of a thoughtful campaign by Gkids and Toho that emphasized the ‘must-see’ intensity of the theatrical experience.” Its predecessor film Godzilla Minus One earned $113 million dollars globally in 2023, and it led to an Oscar win for best visual effects.
The Cat in the Hat (2026) tried its best at the box office, earning $30.5 million USD globally over the weekend. While audiences enjoyed it, critics were less enthusiastic, with the film scoring around 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. This marks the first theatrical animated feature based on the story, with Bill Hader voicing the Cat. With a reported budget of $92 million USD, the movie is expected to be a box office disappointment for Warner Bros., although its eventual video-on-demand and physical releases could help it recover some of its costs.
Alongside Godzilla Minus Zero and The Cat in the Hat, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend earned $8.6 million USD over the weekend, bringing its four-day opening total to $12.1 million USD. The first instalment of a two-part Indian epic is reportedly the most expensive Indian film ever made, with a budget of $500 million USD. Globally, the film has earned $55.7 million USD to date.
Nathan Fielder’s You Can See Everything continues to hold its own at the box office for a documentary, earning $8.8 million USD in its fourth weekend of release. Meanwhile, Wild Horse Nine brought in $6 million USD. The film stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and is directed by Martin McDonagh, who also directed The Banshees of Inisherin. Wild Horse Nine received praise from critics on the film festival circuit, with CGMagazine editor-in-chief Brendan Frye giving it a 10/10 at TIFF 2026. Frye praised the film for “craft[ing] one of the funniest films of the festival” and its “amazing cinematography.”
International films appeared to be among the biggest winners at North American theatres this weekend, suggesting audiences are willing to turn out for international productions rather than just traditional Hollywood blockbusters.
