Godzilla Minus One and Ramayana storm the global box office
According to Variety, Asian cinema dominated the global box office over the weekend as Japan's Godzilla Minus Zero and India's Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend made impressive debuts. The films ranked first and second respectively on the global revenue charts, contributing to a $29 million gross for the IMAX network over 3 days.
According to Rentrak data, Godzilla Minus Zero led the global box office chart with $63 million, of which $31.4 million came from international markets. Released across 101 markets, this marks the first time a Japanese-produced Godzilla installment has received a simultaneous global theatrical release.
In North America alone, the film grossed $31.6 million in its opening week. This achievement makes Godzilla Minus Zero the highest-grossing opening weekend for a foreign-language live-action film in North American box office history, surpassing the $17.8 million record held by Hero (2002), the martial arts film directed by Zhang Yimou.
In Japan, Godzilla Minus Zero grossed 2.7 billion yen. It is the sequel to Godzilla Minus One (2023), continuing the story of a Japanese family working to rebuild their lives following the turmoil of the previous film. Premiering at the New York Film Festival in September, Godzilla Minus Zero is the first Japanese film shot to the Filmed For IMAX standard. The film grossed $21.3 million on the global IMAX network, accounting for roughly 34% of its total box office.
Ranking second on the global chart, Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend recorded $52.2 million over the three-day weekend, bringing its cumulative box office to $55.7 million. Sony Pictures reported that the film grossed $43.5 million across 37 international markets, including $32 million in India. In North America, Ramayana earned $12.2 million.
In the UK, Ramayana grossed $3 million, breaking the opening weekend box office record for an Indian film. Other notable markets included the UAE with $2.2 million, Australia with $1.9 million, and Germany with $625,000.
Based on the 5,000-year-old Sanskrit epic, Ramayana is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, produced by Namit Malhotra, and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi. The plot revolves around a prince and an immortal king whose destinies are intertwined by a prophecy.
The film also achieved notable success on the IMAX network with $6 million, accounting for approximately 11% of its total global gross. Of this, India contributed $2 million, North America reached $2.5 million, and 32 other international markets brought in $1.4 million.
