Click here to read the full article.
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 foreign language live-action film in North America. The R-rated monster movie benefitted 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 resonated with audiences. PLFs, including Dolby, accounted for a staggering 74% of ticket sales. By comparison, “The Odyssey” collected 53% of opening weekend returns from PLFs.
“We’re so happy to see audiences embrace ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ at an unprecedented scale for an international film,” says Chance Huskey, VP of distribution for Gkids, which distributed the movie in the U.S. “This landmark release is the result of a thoughtful campaign by Gkids and Toho that emphasized the ‘must see’ intensity of the theatrical experience.”
“Godzilla Minus Zero” built on the success of the prior kaiju adventure, 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One.” That sci-fi epic secured a better-than-expected $11.4 million start and powered to $57 million in North America and $113 million globally, in addition to winning a visual effects Oscar. Produced by Japan’s Toho and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the movie takes place two years after the previous installment as Godzilla regenerates and resurfaces to combat a new monster that’s tormenting postwar Japan.
“‘Godzilla’ is a hit,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Critics’ reviews and audience scores are once again outstanding. This weekend’s opening takes the Japanese production to a new level.”
“The Cat in the Hat” was well-received by audiences, earning an “A” grade on CinemaScore, which could help in terms of box office longevity. Critics weren’t as kind, saddling the movie with a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. Bill Hader voices the titular character in the cartooned version, which revolves around the shenanigans that occur after a mischievous cat (wearing a hat) arrives to cheer up two siblings who move to a new town. Overseas, “The Cat in the Hat” collected just $10 million from 60 international markets for a global start of $30.5 million. Unless “The Cat in the Hat” rebounds in the coming weeks, the $92 million-budgeted movie will rank as another dud for Warner Bros. (Theater owners keep roughly 50% of ticket sales.) The studio, which recently merged with Paramount Skydance, has endured a brutal year at the box office with flops, including “Digger,” “The Bride!” and “Supergirl,” which have resulted in hundreds of millions in theatrical losses.
“This is a soft opening,” Gross says. “However, family animation does extremely well in ancillary windows, earning more in digital sales and rental, streaming and TV licensing than in theatrical. That is where the film should recover its costs.”
This is the second adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic following 2003’s live-action comedy, starring Mike Myers as the Cat. That film opened to $38 million, not adjusted for inflation, and ran out of steam with $134 million, a disappointing result given the budget was above $100 million. More recently, Dr. Seuss adaptations like 2018’s “The Grinch” (which opened to $67 million) and 2012’s “The Lorax” (which opened to $70 million) were big hits for Universal and Illumination. Yes, the theatrical landscape has changed a lot since those films were released. But “The Cat in the Hat” is based on popular IP, and it didn’t have any competition. (Families with young kids haven’t had much to see since since Universal’s “Forgotten Island” in September.) Even this spring’s “Hoppers,” an original offering from Disney and Pixar, managed to debut to $45 million.
Overall, this weekend reached $114 million across all films, up 86% from the same frame a year ago when “Predator: Badlands” was No. 1 at the box office. Exhibitors are hoping the momentum continues through November, which sees the release of Paramount’s Christmas fantasy “Ebenezer,” starring Johnny Depp, Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping,” Universal’s comedy “Focker in Law,” with Ariana Grande joining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, and Disney’s animated “Hexed.”
“It’s another encouraging sign as we head toward the all-important holiday movie season,” says Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian.
Also this weekend, Searchlight’s dark comedy “Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell and directed by Martin McDonagh, opened at No. 8 with $6 million from 1,100 theaters. It’s a promising debut for the Oscar hopeful, which has a much larger initial footprint than McDonagh’s prior film, 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” After starting in limited release, “Banshees of Inisherin” became a slow and steady box office hit with $10.5 million domestically and $50 million globally. “Wild Horse Nine” follows Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA officers who are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before a Chilean military coup.
Another newcomer, the Indian epic “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend,” earned $8.6 million over the traditional weekend and $12.1 million during its first four days in theaters. Sony is distributing “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” in 1,300 theaters, marking the widest North American release for an Indian film. Nitesh Tiwari‘s two-part adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic are the most expensive Indian films ever made, costing a combined $500 million to bring to screens.
“Indian epics do some business in English-speaking countries, but they can make a fortune in India,” says Gross. “It’s going to need to make a fortune there.”
“Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” opened in fifth place behind of A24’s electric Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything.” The zeitgeist-capturing movie has earned $8.8 million from 2,473 theaters in its fourth weekend of release, boosting its domestic tally to a staggering $79.8 million. “You Can See Everything” will leave theaters as one of the biggest documentaries in decades. And it will be very profitable for A24, which produced the nearly three-hour movie for $7 million.
“Drummer Boy,” a Christian musical from Angel Studios, landed at No. 3 with $9.3 million from 2,850 theaters. “Jimmy,” a faith-based biopic starring KJ Apa as the actor and military vet Jimmy Stewart, finished the weekend in 12th place with just $2.2 million from 1,470 theaters.
Elsewhere, A24’s heartwarming comedy “Club Kid” and Amazon MGM’s drama “I Play Rocky” scored in limited release. “Club Kid” earned $390,583 from six screens in New York and Los Angeles, translating to $65,097 per location. Jordan Firstman wrote, directed and stars in the film, which revolves around a hard-partying club promoter who finds out he has a 10-year-old son. “I Play Rocky” captured $345,000 from seven theaters, averaging $49,200 per location. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the movie depicts the real life story of Sylvester Stallone bringing the 1976 classic “Rocky” to the big screen. Both films will expand nationwide around Thanksgiving.
“We’re incredibly encouraged by the response to ‘I Play Rocky,” so far,” says Amazon MGM Studios head of domestic distribution Kevin Wilson. “The enthusiasm from audiences reinforces our belief that we have a film with both awards potential and commercial appeal.”
More to come…
