Godzilla Minus Zero, made for 9% of Ramayana's budget, out-earns it by 260% in US, beats it at global box office with $63 million opening

Godzilla Minus Zero has been the number 1 film in the world this weekend, steamrolling Ramayana and Hollywood films at the US box office.

Japanese film Godzilla Minus Zero has roared to the top of the global box office this weekend, despite not being released in South Asia, where Ramayana's IMAX dominance pushed it back. Yet the creature feature steamrolled the Indian epic in North America.

Japanese film Godzilla Minus Zero is the #1 film in the world this weekend.

Godzilla Minus Zero beats Ramayana

According to industry estimates, Godzilla Minus Zero was the top film at the North American box office over the weekend, earning $31.6 million between Friday and Sunday. It pushed Cat in the Hat to the second spot. Ramayana, which has released internationally as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, was in the fifth spot despite getting the widest release in the US for any Indian film. The Nitesh Tiwari film earned $8.7 million between Friday and Sunday, and $12.2 million during its extended opening weekend. In like-for-like terms, Godzilla Minus Zero was able to out-earn it by a staggering 260% in the US.

This is despite the fact that the Japanese film was made on a budget of just $19 million, a mere 9% of Ramayana's reported landing cost of around $210 million.

Deep Dive

How much did Godzilla Minus Zero earn compared with Ramayana in the US?

Which film had the bigger worldwide opening, Godzilla Minus Zero or Ramayana?

Why did Godzilla Minus Zero out-earn Ramayana in the US despite its smaller budget?

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Godzilla Minus Zero dominated globally as well, but Ramayana was able to bridge the gap due to a solid performance in India. The Japanese film earned $63 million in its opening weekend worldwide. Ramayana, meanwhile, earned around $55 million (roughly ₹500 crore) during its 4-day opening weekend. Over $30 million of these ( ₹290 crore gross) came from India, its home market.

All about Godzilla Minus Zero

Set in 1949, as postwar Japan looks to rebuild, the film sees a new threat emerge: a giant, three-headed, dragon-like monster called King Ghidorah. Enter Godzilla -- believed defeated in the 2023 Godzilla Minus One, but radioactively regenerated -- who takes on the three-headed beast with at least some human assistance.

“This weekend's opening takes the Japanese production to a new level -- it's nearly three times the previous opening in Dec 2023,” veteran industry analyst David A. Gross wrote.

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus Zero is produced by Japan's Toho and distributed in North America by GKIDS.

About Ramayana

Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The first part of the planned duology released worldwide on November 5, 2026, while the second part is set for Diwali 2028.

The film is distributed globally by Sony Pictures.

(With AFP inputs)