'Godzilla Minus Zero' just made box office history, and it did it without a single U.S. TV ad
Takashi Yamazaki's R-rated sequel opened to $31.6 million domestically and $63 million worldwide, breaking records for a live-action foreign-language film and becoming the first Japanese movie ever shot natively for IMAX.
In brief
'Godzilla Minus Zero' just made box office history, and it did it without a single U.S. TV ad
Nobody bought a television spot. That detail alone tells you something. Deadline noted that iSpot data showed zero domestic TV ad purchases for Godzilla Minus Zero, the R-rated sequel Toho and GKIDS quietly dropped into 3,254 North American theaters on November 6. The film opened to $31.6 million over the November 6 to 8 weekend anyway, good for the number one spot and a clutch of records that will take years to unseat.
The most striking: Godzilla Minus Zero broke Hero's record of $18 million for the highest weekend debut for a live-action foreign-language film at the domestic box office. And per The Wrap, the sequel is now the second-highest opening for a non-English live-action film in the U.S., behind only The Passion of the Christ, and only the fourth non-English film ever to hit number one on the American weekend chart.
The predecessor set a high bar. Godzilla Minus Zero's $31.61 million launch was about 2.8 times the $11.42 million domestic opening of Godzilla Minus One in 2023. That 2023 film surprised everyone. This one was expected to outpace it, but not by this much.
What IMAX did for this movie
The IMAX angle is a big part of the story. Godzilla Minus Zero is the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, using IMAX-certified high-definition digital cameras and imagery and sound optimized for the format. Director Takashi Yamazaki, speaking to UPI, explained why the team held off on shooting Minus One that way: "We opted for just regular IMAX release because there was even questions of whether or not we could complete Godzilla Minus One. So, adding another variable of film for IMAX into the mix when we're still fighting to finish the film, I think, would have been too much."
The patience paid off. IMAX pulled in $21.3 million worldwide, representing 34% of the film's global opening and setting a new record for the biggest IMAX global opening for a Japanese film. Domestically, IMAX represented 40% of the film's box office, the biggest opening weekend domestic market share in IMAX history.
An R rating, 72 years in the making
Yamazaki also went somewhere the franchise never had before. The Motion Picture Association officially rated Godzilla Minus Zero R for "some violent content/bloody images," making it the first Godzilla movie to receive an R rating from the MPA. At the film's New York Film Festival world premiere in September, Yamazaki told Variety that the rating mattered to him creatively: "I think the R-rating, at one point, carried almost a negative connotation. In more modern films, it actually creates a sort of expectation and excitement of, 'Okay, well, they're not censoring anything. Hopefully, we can continue that trend with 'Godzilla Minus Zero.'"
Audiences agreed. Godzilla Minus Zero earned an A on CinemaScore and 96% audience scores, putting it well on pace to pass the $57.1 million U.S. run of Minus One.
A global weekend to match
Overseas added $31.4 million, pushing the film to $63 million worldwide for the weekend. Toho's film beat out Prime Focus Studio and Sony's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend's $55.7 million global total, the bulk of which came from India. Toho opened the film in Japan on November 3, the anniversary of the 1954 original, and it has taken about $17 million there. The film opened in Japan as the highest-grossing opening day for any live-action film in that country's history.
Back in North America, Takashi Yamazaki's sequel finished roughly $11 million ahead of The Cat in the Hat, the weekend's other major wide opener. It also broke the GKids company record, surpassing the $13 million debut of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta
The box office wasn't the only place making noise this weekend. On Friday, November 6, Future surprised fans with a new single titled "Ya Hit," featuring Drake, Travis Scott, and Loe Shimmy, the track dropping without warning. Per Kurrco, the new posse cut will appear on Future's upcoming project, Infinity, though no release date or other details are currently available.
The song was initially previewed at Drake's 40th birthday party last month but only as a collaboration between Future, Travis Scott, and Loe Shimmy, with Drake's verse kept under wraps until the release. Stereogum pointed out that ATL Jacob and London Cyr produced the track, described as a corroded smear of glitchy bass and gothy synth-tones. The song also contains ad-libs from Sexyy Red, who is not officially listed on the track.
Drake's verse landed hardest online. HotNewHipHop noted that the track drew heated discussion thanks to Drake's subliminal diss: "Your album ain't getting no better, it's done, so submit it," he rapped on the cut. Speculation quickly split over whether the target was Jay-Z or DJ Khaled, with some fans still pointing toward Kendrick Lamar given their documented history. Nobody has confirmed a name. The release of "Ya Hit" appears to signal that any rumored tension between Drake and Future, stemming from a 2024 conflict involving Drake and Kendrick Lamar, has been resolved.
Future's Instagram story the same day promoted Lil Baby's new album, Fresh, which also dropped Friday. Three major rap events, one day. The weekend belonged to a Japanese monster and a very busy Atlanta rap scene.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
