Box Office: ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Roars With $31 Million Debut, ‘Cat in the Hat’ Fizzles With $20 Million

“Godzilla Minus Zero” topped the North American box office with a $31.6 million opening, setting a record for a foreign-language live-action film there. Strong reviews, audience scores and demand for premium large-format screenings helped make the Japanese production a major theatrical draw.

“The Cat in the Hat” opened to $20 million in North America and $30.5 million worldwide, a soft start for a film with a reported $92 million budget. Audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore, while critics rated it 45% on Rotten Tomatoes; its distributor may rely on digital rentals, streaming and television licensing to recover costs. “Godzilla Minus Zero” earned $12.7 million from Imax screenings, and premium formats accounted for 74% of its domestic ticket sales.