Godzilla Minus One is outdoing the competition at the domestic box office. The new movie is Toho’s 33rd Japanese-language installment in the franchise, which kicked off with the iconic classic Godzilla in 1954. Minus One, which was helmed by writer-director and visual effects lead Takashi Yamazaki, follows the exploits of a former kamikaze pilot in the wake of World War II, where a war-torn Japan’s rebuilding efforts are threatened by the emergence of the irradiated monster Godzilla.
Per Variety, the Godzilla Minus One box office is adding an additional $5 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend. This will allow the movie to cross the $30 million milestone in the region, something that many Hollywood blockbusters haven’t even been able to do. In fact, Godzilla Minus One has trounced more than a dozen major wide-release titles from 2023, including Thanksgiving, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (the latter of which opened at No. 1 the weekend of Godzilla‘s release).
How Godzilla Minus One Compares to the Average Domestic Release
The exact cumulative total for the Godzilla Minus One American release won’t be known until Monday morning. However, the gross is projected to land somewhere above $34 million, which would make the Japanese movie the 54th highest-grossing domestic release of the year. In addition to the aforementioned titles, this means it would outgross the domestic hauls of even more Hollywood blockbusters including Missing, 65, Plane, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Strays, Renfield, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
It remains to be seen how high the movie can climb, though the short Godzilla Minus One theatrical run may end within another week, reducing its chances to climb even higher up the domestic chart. However, even if the movie’s next weekend in domestic theaters grosses just $3 million, it would rise at least one spot by outgrossing Knock at the Cabin‘s U.S. total of $35.4 million, though it would likely be unable to climb higher unless its run is extended. Check out a comparison between Godzilla Minus One and the next-highest-grossing titles below:
Title | Chart Rank | Domestic Gross |
|---|---|---|
Godzilla Minus One | Unknown | ~$34 million |
Knock at the Cabin | #53 | $35.4 million |
80 for Brady | #52 | $39.3 million |
The Creator | #51 | $40.8 million |
A Haunting in Venice | #50 | $42.5 million |
The Boogeyman | #49 | $43.2 million |
Gran Turismo | #48 | $44.4 million |
All in all, Godzilla Minus One can’t quite operate at the level of the big-budget blockbusters at the top of the domestic chart. The Top 10 currently spans from Sound of Freedom at $184.2 million to Barbie at $636.2 million, totals that would be essentially impossible for the Godzilla movie to match. However, this is an outstanding effort for an international feature and, in fact, the movie is already the highest-grossing domestic release of the year that isn’t in the English language.
Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One is the first Godzilla film released by Toho since 2016’s Shin Godzilla. Minus One is a reimagining of the original 1954 Godzilla and takes the franchise back to its roots by exploring the harsh life of post-war Japan. The story follows Koichi Shikishima, a failed kamikaze pilot, who struggles with survivor guilt as a giant monster attacks the city.
- Release Date
- December 1, 2023
- Director
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Cast
- Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Minami Hamabe , Yûki Yamada , Munetaka Aoki , Hidetaka Yoshioka , Sakura Andō , Kuranosuke Sasaki
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 125 Minutes
- Genres
- Action , Adventure , Horror , Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Studio(s)
- Toho Studios , Robot
- Distributor(s)
- Toho Studios
- Franchise(s)
- Godzilla
