Godzilla Minus Zero Takes In $6.7 Million in Previews Ahead of Weekend Opening
Godzilla Minus Zero earned $6.7 million in previews, according to Variety, and is expected to open with $30 million at the box office. Previews are the early screenings held before a film's official opening, and they offer a first hint of how the weekend will go. Deadline counted $6 million in previews over the last three days.
The film is the sequel to 2023's Godzilla Minus One, which was written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. That earlier film opened with $11.4 million, grossed $57 million domestically (the United States and Canada) and $113 million worldwide, and won the Academy Award for visual effects, according to Variety. Variety also reports that it became the biggest live-action Japanese movie in North America.
The new film picks up two years after the first. Godzilla returns, and a new monster arrives. Toho produced it, and GKids distributes it in the U.S. Variety reports that it is the first Japanese movie ever filmed for Imax, the large-format screens known for their giant pictures and sound. Yamazaki wrote the film, directed it and handled its visual effects, according to the official film page. A new trailer came out on October 11, and tickets went on sale after it, according to the official Godzilla site.
Godzilla is not the only opener on the calendar. Warner Bros. Animation's The Cat in the Hat, starring Bill Hader, made $1 million in previews, according to Variety, and Deadline reports it earned $1 million on Thursday night in the domestic market. Variety projects a $20 million opening for the film.
Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, starring Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich, made $900,000 in previews. Variety projects $4 million to $7 million from its limited release, a run in a smaller number of cinemas before a wider push.
Sony's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend took in $3.5 million from its Thursday opening and Wednesday previews, according to Variety. Sony releases the film in North America, and Variety projects a $6 million opening for it.
The studio estimates for the full weekend will arrive on Sunday. Confirmed actual figures usually follow on Monday, and those numbers will show which of these openings reached the projections.
