Godzilla Minus Zero and The Cat in the Hat both open in US theaters today, Friday, November 6, 2026. One is a 70-year-old monster chasing box-office records. The other is a very tall cat in a very tall hat. Here's the weekend in 13 frames.
This is the Godzilla head looming over TOHO Cinemas in Shinjuku, Tokyo — the monster's home ground. Minus Zero opened in Japan on Tuesday, Godzilla Day, and took ¥910 million ($5.7 million) on day one, a record for a live-action film there.
Tokyo at night, the city Godzilla has flattened on screen for 72 years. Minus Zero is set in Japan two years after the events of Minus One, with director Takashi Yamazaki back at the helm.
Tokyo Tower has survived every Godzilla rampage so far. The new film is tracking for a $25–30 million opening in North America — nearly triple the $11.4 million Minus One managed in 2023.
Director Takashi Yamazaki with star Ryunosuke Kamiki at the Godzilla Minus One premiere. Yamazaki wrote, directed and handled the visual effects for both films — and Minus One took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Yamazaki on the red carpet at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2023. Three years later he's back with a sequel that Variety projects will open near $30 million from 3,254 North American theaters.
The entrance to The Cat in the Hat ride at Universal Orlando — the Cat has been a theme-park star for years. Now Warner Bros. Animation is giving him his first animated feature, with Bill Hader voicing the Cat.
The Cat in the Hat ride, still spinning. The new film is the first theatrical release from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation under Bill Damaschke, and it's aiming for $20–25 million from about 4,000 theaters.
A Cat in the Hat reader at a US Air Force story event. Dr. Seuss's book has been a bedtime staple since 1957 — the new film bets a $92 million budget that a new generation will show up for it.
Popcorn, obviously. Godzilla is the favorite this weekend, but the Cat has the family audience — and the widest release of the two. Expect long lines at the concession stand either way.
Cinema seats, waiting. Godzilla Minus Zero plays in 3,254 North American theaters, including IMAX. The Cat in the Hat is in roughly 4,000, with 3D, premium large format and Dolby Cinema shows.
An IMAX screen, where Godzilla belongs. The film's IMAX opening day in Japan beat Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle's, according to Deadline — and it's set to be the biggest opening ever for US distributor GKIDS.
Want the numbers, the forecasts and who wins the weekend? Read our full report —