‘Godzilla’ Outplayed ‘Cat in the Hat.’ Here’s How

When animals attack! Two familiar characters faced off at the box office this weekend, with wildly different results. Japan’s Godzilla Minus Zero roared to a nearly $32 million domestic opening on a reported $18 million production budget. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Animation’s The Cat in the Hat, which cost nearly $100 million to make, managed just $20.5 million.

So what did Godzilla get right that the Cat didn’t?

As it turns out, just about everything that’s been working at the theatrical box office in 2026. The GKIDS release is practically a case study of success.

• The biggest foreign-language live-action opening ever in the U.S. during a year that loves box office records? Check. 

• Forty percent of the opening weekend gross coming from IMAX theaters, at a time when The Odyssey rewrote the IMAX record book? Check.

• Sixty-five percent of opening-weekend audiences falling between the ages of 18 and 34, when the Gen Z audience has continuously pushed movies above expectations (see also Obsession, Backrooms and You Can See Everything)? Check.

• Likely profitability, since the Toho production cost has earned more than $63 million worldwide? Check.

“My bingo card’s been called here,” says Sean McNulty.

“It’s the perfect 2026 release,” adds Christopher Rosen. 

A sequel to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, and once again directed by Takashi Yamazaki (who won an Oscar for the first film’s special effects), Godzilla Minus Zero picks up in the aftermath of World War II and the events of the first film and introduces some famed kaiju characters from Godzilla lore — a combination of auteur imprimatur and monster action that bodes well for its long-term outlook (note the A CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences).

“It’s become an ‘it’s a movie you gotta go see in theaters’ kind of thing again — another event for people who love going to the movie theater,” adds Sean. “It’s great to see all these trends coming together here in November — and it’s clear that a lot of this year’s successes aren’t flukes. If you build them, they work.”

But not always: Warner Bros. Animation’s The Cat in the Hat, with Bill Hader voicing the famed character from Dr. Seuss, missed — perhaps because of how it was marketed.

“I wonder if the people thought it skewed a little young, because I think The Cat in the Hat is thought of as for young kids,” says Chris. However, the movie focuses on a teenage girl coming to terms with growing up, with the Cat helping her along the way. In many ways, it’s closer to the blockbuster Pixar franchise Inside Out than something kiddie-focused like Paw Patrol.

“You could have imagined a different marketing campaign that really targeted that age to bring in older kids and teens,” adds Chris. “It’s a good movie, but I think little subtle things in the marketing could have made it actually work.”