A wave of new movies hits theaters this weekend, and Godzilla is going to crush them all at the box office.
Godzilla Minus Zero is tracking for $25 million to $33 million, with another $30 million overseas for a global start near $60 million. That’s roughly triple what Godzilla Minus One opened to in 2023, back when the subtitled Japanese monster movie became a surprise winter hit. That one went on to gross $57.1 million domestic and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Director Takashi Yamazaki is back for the sequel with King Ghidorah tearing through postwar Japan. It’s the first Japanese film ever shot for Imax, and it opened Tuesday in Japan — on Godzilla Day — with $5.7 million, nearly three times the first film’s opening-day gross.
The Cat in the Hat is tracking for second with $15 million to $22 million. Bill Hader voices the Cat for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, with Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja directing. Forecasts had it above $40 million a month ago, but it’s been falling ever since, with reviews landing at a middling 47 on Metacritic. Dr. Seuss used to be a sure thing — The Grinch opened to $67 million, The Lorax to $70 million — but the buzz here has been quiet. At least it has the family audience to itself until Disney’s Hexed arrives Nov. 25.
You Can See Everything looks to hold third with $8 million to $10 million. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary finally hit No. 1 last weekend and is up to $64.7 million, and it’s beaten its forecast every single week since it opened. It’s also become the movie everyone’s talking about, with Amanda Seyfried now in the Best Supporting Actress conversation and the film itself a real Best Picture threat — something no documentary has ever pulled off.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend lands fourth with $6 million to $9 million. Sony opens Nitesh Tiwari’s take on the Valmiki epic on Thursday for Diwali — in Imax and 3D — and on more North American screens than any Indian movie has ever had. It’s the first half of a two-part production, and worldwide it could pull in as much as $75 million.
Drummer Boy rounds out the top five with $5 million to $10 million. Brothers Ben and Joel David Smallbone direct the Revolutionary War musical drama for Angel Studios, which has built a faith-based audience that reliably shows up. Young Washington proved it this summer with $47 million.
Just outside the top five, Wildwood is looking at $5 million to $7 million in its third weekend. Laika’s stop-motion fantasy is at $25.9 million and leads Gold Derby’s odds for Best Animated Feature.
Searchlight’s Wild Horse Nine is eyeing $4 million to $7 million. Martin McDonagh directs John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA operatives sent to Easter Island before the 1973 Chilean coup. Malkovich won the Volpi Cup at Venice and leads Gold Derby’s Best Actor odds, 32 years after his last nomination.
Fathom releases Jimmy wide, with KJ Apa as James Stewart in Aaron Burns’ biopic. Two Oscar contenders arrive in limited release: Nuisance Bear, the Sundance documentary grand jury winner now on the IDA Awards shortlist alongside You Can See Everything, and Being Heumann, from CODA Oscar winner Sian Heder, with Ruth Madeley as the disability rights activist Judy Heumann and Mark Ruffalo co-starring.
Here are Gold Derby’s predicted box-office rankings for the top five over the Nov. 6-8 weekend:
- Godzilla Minus Zero — $30 million
- The Cat in the Hat — $19 million
- You Can See Everything — $9 million
- Ramayana: Rise of a Legend — $8 million
- Drummer Boy — $7 million
New releases
Godzilla Minus Zero
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Distributor: GKIDS
Set in 1949, the Shikishima family confronts a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with the legendary monster. The Imax creature feature runs two hours and 15 minutes and is rated R. Godzilla Minus Zero is “certified fresh” with an 89% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 74.
The Cat in the Hat
Director: Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Meet the Cat in the Hat you don’t know in an all-new epic adventure where mischief, magic, and mayhem reign supreme. The animated family comedy runs one hour and 47 minutes and is rated PG. The Cat in the Hat had not yet reached a critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing; “mixed” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 47.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
An ancient saga follows a young prince and princess whose marriage and subsequent exile mark the beginning of a legendary journey. Their story of love, duty and destiny sets the stage for greater challenges ahead. The Imax runs three hours and 15 minutes and is rated PG-13. Rise of a Legend is “certified fresh” with a 74% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 62.
Drummer Boy
Director: Ben Smallbone and Joel David Smallbone
Distributor: Angel
As America’s fight for independence begins, a young drummer boy, an enslaved woman, and a divided family search for freedom. Through battle and loss, music carries hope in a deeply human story of faith and forgiveness. The war story runs two hours and nine minutes and is rated PG-13. Drummer Boy had not reached a consensus on Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic as of this writing.
Wild Horse Nine
Director: Martin McDonagh
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
CIA agents Chris and Lee face a trust-testing mission from Santiago to Easter Island during 1973 in Chile. The dark comedy runs one hour and 58 minutes and is rated R. Wild Horse Nine is “certified fresh” with an 95% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 77.
Being Heumann
Director: Sian Heder
Distributor: Apple Original Films
In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann leads a historic 28-day occupation of San Francisco’s Federal Building, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights. The historic drama runs two hours and seven minutes and is rated R. Being Heumann is “certified fresh” with an 86% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 66.
Nuisance Bear
Director: Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman
Distributor: Mubi
A polar bear’s traditional migration path leads it into populated areas, sparking conflict between human interests and wild nature as the animal struggles to survive in a changing world. The nature documentary runs one hour and 30 minutes and is not rated. Nuisance Bear is “certified fresh” with an 97% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally favorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 65.
Jimmy
Director: Aaron Burns
Distributor: Fathom Entertainemnt
The story of the iconic role that saved America’s most beloved actor. The James Stewart biopic runs two hours and is rated PG-13. Jimmy is “certified fresh” with an 64% score per the aggregated critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes; “generally unfavorable” reviews compiled by Metacritic resulted in an overall score of 39.
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