Godzilla Minus Zero earns $6m in previews, setting new box office record for distributor GKIDS
More than $4 million of the reported total came from the latest round of preview screenings
Godzilla Minus Zero is off to a powerful start at the North American box office, earning approximately $6 million in preview screenings ahead of its wide theatrical release on November 6. The impressive figure sets a new preview record for distributor GKIDS and puts the Japanese monster movie on course for a potentially huge opening weekend.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the sequel to 2023’s Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One generated its preview earnings through a combination of special fan screenings for Godzilla Day and additional showings leading up to its Friday release. More than $4 million of the reported total came from the latest round of preview screenings.
The achievement surpasses GKIDS’ previous preview record, held by Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, which earned $2.39 million from Thursday and early-access screenings in 2023. Godzilla Minus One, meanwhile, collected approximately $2.1 million from its Wednesday and Thursday previews before opening to $11.4 million in North America.
With its early performance exceeding that of its predecessor, Godzilla Minus Zero is now tracking towards an opening weekend of more than $30 million domestically. Industry projections could climb further if the film maintains its momentum throughout the weekend.
The sequel is also outperforming early comparisons with Predator: Badlands, which collected $4.8 million in Wednesday and Thursday previews before opening to $40 million last year. Its preview total is also approaching the $6.3 million earned by Legendary’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters in Thursday previews in 2019.
The film’s performance is particularly notable because it carries an R rating, an unusual classification for a modern Godzilla release. Despite the restriction, strong interest in premium large-format screenings and IMAX presentations appears to be helping drive ticket sales.
Godzilla Minus Zero has also enjoyed a successful opening in Japan. The film earned approximately 1.38 billion yen ($8.7 million) during its first three days, while its Godzilla Day opening alone generated 910 million yen ($5.7 million). That marked a record opening day for a live-action film in Japan, surpassing the previous benchmark held by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The sequel arrives three years after Godzilla Minus One, which became an unexpected international success. The 2023 film earned approximately $113 million worldwide against a relatively modest production budget and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, making history as the first Godzilla film to receive.
