Godzilla Minus 0.0 (Gojira -0.0) became the first Japanese film to top the weekend box office charts in Japan and North America at the same time, opening on 3,254 screens in the US and Canada and drawing 1.61 million admissions at home in six days.
The film opened in Japan on November 3 at 448 theaters, including large-format venues. By November 8 it had earned 2.5 billion yen at the Japanese box office.
Its North American release on November 6 was the widest ever for a Japanese film. The three-day opening weekend, including previews, brought in about $31.6 million, roughly 5 billion yen, and first place on the North American weekend chart.
The last Japanese films to lead a North American weekend were Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, released in 2025, and the Chainsaw Man Reze Arc film. Among live-action Japanese films, the previous one was Godzilla Minus One in 2023.
Yamazaki: 'Like something out of a dream'
Takashi Yamazaki, who directed, wrote and handled the visual effects, said the reception abroad had surprised him. "For someone like me who grew up admiring Hollywood films and chasing after them, having our Godzilla welcomed so warmly and passionately by people around the world feels like something out of a dream," he said.
Yamazaki also thanked audiences who went to theaters as soon as the film opened. He said he has been hearing often in Japan that a second viewing deepens the experience, and urged fans to "experience" the film again in its various formats.
What the film is about
The story is set in 1949, two years after the battle in Godzilla Minus One, as Japan rebuilds from the war. People have finally reached a kind of calm when a new threat arrives and seems to shatter it with ease.
Ryunosuke Kamiki plays the lead, Koichi Shikishima. Minami Hamabe plays Noriko, who survives a Godzilla attack by a stroke of luck.
Godzilla Minus 0.0 is in theaters across Japan. Screenings in Dolby Cinema, 4DX and MX4D begin on November 13.