Godzilla Minus One Week 2 Box Office Stomps Toho’s Franchise Record (& Monsterverse Milestone)

Godzilla Minus One has shattered an important franchise box office record during its second weekend in U.S. theaters. The new movie, which was directed, written, and had its visual effects designed by Takashi Yamazaki, is the 33rd Japanese-language Godzilla movie from Toho and the 37th overall including the four English-language entries, three of which are part of Legendary’s Monsterverse. Godzilla Minus One is set in a devastated Japan after the end of World War II in which a former kamikaze pilot’s attempts to build a life in the bombed-out remains of Tokyo are threatened by the arrival of Godzilla.

Per Deadline, the second weekend of the Godzilla Minus One American release is projected to take in a 3-day total of $7.9 million, a mere 31% drop from its opening weekend. In addition to maintaining its hold at the No. 3 spot on the domestic chart, the movie has accomplished the smallest second-weekend drop of any Godzilla domestic release. This includes every movie in the blockbuster Monsterverse franchise, even the Godzilla-free Kong: Skull Island.

It Seems Godzilla Minus One Can Do No Wrong

The Godzilla Minus One box office already smashed several major records in its domestic opening weekend, including earning the highest-grossing U.S. opening for a Japanese live-action movie ever and the best opening for any foreign-language movie in 2023 to that point. While The Boy and the Heron will likely take the latter record this weekend, this second-weekend result is significant, as Godzilla movies typically have much higher week-on-week drops. Check out how the new movie compares with the previous major domestic releases for modern Godzilla movies below:

The success of Godzilla Minus One is partially due to its lucky release date. It opened during the typically sleepy weekend after Thanksgiving, in which its only major new release competition was the concert documentary Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. There were no other major blockbusters released in its second weekend, clearing the runway of competition while Godzilla managed to avoid the huge week 2 drop that eventually hit Renaissance.

While its release strategy certainly contributed, Godzilla Minus One‘s reviews also helped it rise above other Godzilla movies. The movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% is the best for the entire franchise since 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and the second-best overall. With all of these factors combined, it seems that the movie can do no wrong, even if it’s not operating at the same sheer box office volume as the hundred-million-dollar efforts from the Monsterverse.