Global box office: Godzilla Minus Zero's $63M edges Ramayana's $55.7M
By Tanishq BhattEntertainment Writer, Peepals Global
Representative image: MustangJoe / Pixabay
Godzilla Minus Zero led the 6-8 November global box office with $63 million; Ramayana: Rise of a Legend was second with $55.7 million, $32 million of it from India.
What Happened
Godzilla Minus Zero, the Japanese monster film from Toho, led the worldwide box office over the weekend of 6 to 8 November 2026 with $63 million, while the Indian epic Ramayana: Rise of a Legend came second with $55.7 million, according to industry box-office reports published on Sunday, 8 November. Ramayana's total includes $32 million from India and $12.2 million from the United States over four days. Godzilla Minus Zero also set a record for a foreign-language live-action film in North America with a $31.6 million opening.
Key Facts
- Godzilla Minus Zero earned $63 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the reports said.
- Its North American opening of $31.6 million, from 3,254 theatres, is a record for a foreign-language film there.
- IMAX screens brought in $21.3 million, about 34% of the film's worldwide opening.
- Ramayana: Rise of a Legend's worldwide total stood at $55.7 million: $32 million from India, $12.2 million from the US over four days and $11.5 million from other markets handled by Sony.
- In the three-day North American weekend chart, Ramayana took about $8.7 million.
- One trade report put Ramayana's three-day global figure at $52.2 million, against the $55.7 million cumulative total given by others.
Why It Matters
Two non-English films led the global box office this weekend, and one of them was Indian. Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, the first part of a two-film adaptation of the Hindu epic, opened in India on Thursday, 5 November, and released internationally through Sony. Its showing outside India, more than $23 million from the US and other markets, shows how far the audience for Indian cinema now reaches, especially among the diaspora in North America.
Godzilla Minus Zero is the follow-up to the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One. Its distributor in North America, GKids, had its best-ever opening, beating the $13 million start of the 2023 Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron. The film's success in a market dominated by Hollywood shows that subtitled films can now open at blockbuster scale.
For Indian producers, the weekend offers a comparison point: a mythological epic made in India sat next to a global monster franchise on the worldwide chart. How well Ramayana holds in its second weekend, when the opening rush fades, will decide whether it becomes a lasting global hit.
Peepals calculation: Ramayana's $55.7 million splits into $32 million from India and $23.7 million from abroad ($12.2 million + $11.5 million), so about 43% of its worldwide total came from outside India (23.7 ÷ 55.7). Godzilla Minus Zero's North American opening of $31.6 million is about half (50%) of its $63 million global start, and it beat the previous foreign-language record of $18 million, held by the 2004 film Hero, by about 76% (31.6 ÷ 18 = 1.76). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Film | Worldwide weekend total | Key market |
|---|---|---|
| Godzilla Minus Zero | $63 million | North America, $31.6 million |
| Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | $55.7 million | India, $32 million |
| Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | Of which US (four days) | $12.2 million |
| Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | Of which other Sony markets | $11.5 million |
Impact
Short-term: Both films head into their second weekends. Ramayana is playing through India's festival season, while Godzilla Minus Zero continues on IMAX screens, which gave it about a third of its opening.
Long-term: Results like these strengthen the case for wide international releases of big Indian films through Hollywood studios, rather than limited diaspora screenings. They also add weight to the trend of non-English films competing at the top of the global charts.
Who is affected: Indian film producers and distributors planning overseas releases; cinema chains in India and abroad; Indian audiences in the US, Canada and other markets; and studios weighing the value of foreign-language films.
What to watch next: Ramayana's second-weekend numbers in India and North America, which will show how well the film holds after its opening.
Key Takeaway
Godzilla Minus Zero topped the global box office on 6-8 November with $63 million, but India's Ramayana: Rise of a Legend was close behind at $55.7 million, with about 43% earned outside India.
Questions and Answers
How much did Ramayana earn at the global box office in its opening weekend?
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend stood at $55.7 million worldwide after the 6-8 November weekend: $32 million in India, $12.2 million in the US over four days and $11.5 million in other markets.
How much did Godzilla Minus Zero earn in its opening weekend?
It earned $63 million worldwide, including a record $31.6 million in North America for a foreign-language film.
Which film won the Godzilla Minus Zero vs Ramayana box office weekend?
Godzilla Minus Zero led with $63 million worldwide, ahead of Ramayana: Rise of a Legend at $55.7 million.
How much of Ramayana's opening came from outside India?
About $23.7 million, or roughly 43% of its worldwide total, came from outside India, by our calculation from the reported figures.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Tanishq Bhatt, Entertainment WriterCovers Entertainment and more for Peepals Global. All stories by Tanishq Bhatt
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Tanishq Bhatt is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
