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Rebecca Rubin
Senior Film and Media Reporter
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Courtesy Everett Collection The Cat in the Hat was no match for the mighty Godzilla. “Godzilla Minus Zero” climbed to the top of box office charts with $31.6 million from 3,254 theaters, a roaring start for a foreign-language epic in North America. Meanwhile, “The Cat in the Hat” stumbled with $20 million from 4,003 locations, a weak debut for an animated movie that’s based on one of the most well-known children’s books of all time.
Ticket sales for “Godzilla Minus Zero” register as the largest opening for a live-action foreign-language film in North America, shattering the record set by China’s martial arts-inspired “Hero” with $17.8 million in 2002. The R-rated “Godzilla” sequel benefited from sterling reviews and strong audience scores (a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls), as well as outsized interest from premium large formats. It’s the first Japanese production ever filmed for Imax, and the company’s bigger and brighter screens have contributed a huge $12.7 million, or 40% of domestic grosses. It wasn’t just Imax that appealed to audiences. PLFs, including Dolby, accounted for a staggering 74% of ticket sales. By comparison, “The Odyssey” collected 53% of opening weekend returns from PLFs.
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