Competing at the box office against Oppenheimer this year isn’t something many releases could claim. Nolan’s movie has been a resounding success, and very few others could say they had the capacity to stand face to face against it. However, there’s been a film that not only managed to cast a shadow over it but actually surpassed it. In a way, we could say it’s its sequel—well, if we consider that the consequences of Oppenheimer set the stage for the events in this movie.
According to Box Office Mojo, the new movie featuring our favorite saurian, “Godzilla Minus One,” has managed to reach the top spot among the highest-grossing movies in the United States. By earning $1,225,396 last Monday, it became the highest-grossing movie in the United States and Canada. As of this past Monday, it has amassed $12,645,371 at the U.S. box office.
This means that Godzilla made around $11 million in its first three days in the U.S. Box Office Mojo reports specifically $11,419,975 in its opening weekend, shown across 2,308 screens. This is an absolutely astounding amount, considering that Oppenheimer opened with a spectacular $82.4 million and Barbie with $155 million, doubling the number of screens.
Where has Godzilla: Minus One managed to win? In being the highest-rated movie of the year. While Oppenheimer had comfortably sat at an 8.4 on IMDb, Godzilla Minus One has surpassed it with a spectacular 8.5. Both films this year were only surpassed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which achieved an 8.7. Yet, this leaves Godzilla Minus One as the highest-rated live-action movie of the year.
For a Japanese Godzilla movie, this is a resounding success. It demonstrates a genuine interest in the character beyond its American version. Hopefully, this will be noted by the Japanese, leading to more frequent releases of their films in the West.
