We have another new number one at the box office, and this time the king of the weekend is a giant radioactive monster. Godzilla Minus Zero opened with an estimated $31.6 million, taking the top spot ahead of The Cat in the Hat, which debuted with $20.5 million. Drummer Boy followed with $9.3 million, while You Can See Everything continued its surprisingly durable run with $8.9 million. Clayface rounded out the top five with an estimated $6.7 million.
It’s another weekend where the box office got a major shakeup at the top, but the more interesting story may be how well some of the holdovers are continuing to perform. You Can See Everything in particular has turned into the little movie that refuses to leave, while Clayface is starting to settle into the middle of the pack.
Godzilla Minus Zero Takes First
Godzilla Minus Zero took the number one spot with an estimated $31.6 million. That’s a strong opening for the latest monster movie, and it gives the weekend a pretty straightforward headline: Godzilla remains extremely good at convincing people to pay money to watch a giant creature destroy things.
The $31.6 million opening gives the film a comfortable lead over the rest of the weekend. It also demonstrates the continued theatrical appeal of the Godzilla brand, which has managed to remain relevant across multiple versions of the character and multiple generations of audiences.
There is still plenty of competition coming into the holiday season, so the real question is whether Godzilla Minus Zero can maintain its momentum after opening weekend. For now, though, it has done exactly what it needed to do.
The Cat in the Hat Opens in Second
The Cat in the Hat opened with $20.5 million, giving it a solid second-place debut. It couldn’t quite keep pace with Godzilla, but a $20 million-plus opening is still a respectable start for the latest adaptation of the classic character.
The big advantage here is the built-in familiarity. Parents know the character, kids know the character, and anyone who has ever been subjected to a Dr. Seuss book at bedtime knows the character. The challenge will be turning that recognition into sustained theatrical business over the coming weeks.
Drummer Boy Opens in Third
Drummer Boy opened with $9.3 million, taking third place for the weekend. That’s considerably behind the two films at the top, but it still gives the movie a spot in the top three during a busy stretch of the theatrical calendar.
With the holiday movie season approaching, films opening around this level have to establish their audience quickly. There are only so many weekends available before the next wave of releases starts fighting for those same moviegoers.
You Can See Everything Keeps Going
You Can See Everything continues to be one of the more interesting stories on the chart, earning another $8.9 million and taking fourth place. After expanding into wide release several weeks ago, the movie has managed to maintain a presence near the top of the box office instead of immediately disappearing.
That’s becoming increasingly impressive as bigger releases continue to arrive. At this point, You Can See Everything has earned its spot as the movie nobody seems particularly interested in letting die at the box office.
Clayface Rounds Out the Top Five
Clayface brought in an estimated $6.7 million, finishing in fifth place. After opening at number one with $24 million, the film is now settling into the middle of the chart as newer releases move into the marketplace.
Its opening was close to my previous $28 million prediction, with the actual result coming in $4 million lower. That’s still a pretty solid prediction considering the tracking range was $23 million to $33 million, and the film’s current position suggests it has found a reasonable audience even if it isn’t dominating the box office.
Next Weekend’s Predictions
Looking ahead, we’re getting a couple of new releases that could shake up the top five: How To Rob A Bank and Ebenezer. Neither is tracking at the level of Godzilla Minus Zero, but both could make a decent impact on the weekend chart.
How To Rob A Bank is tracking between $10 million and $15 million. I’m predicting an opening of $13 million, putting it right around the middle of the expected range. The movie will need to generate enough awareness to stand out against the bigger holiday releases, but $13 million feels like a reasonable target based on the current tracking.
Ebenezer has a considerably higher ceiling, tracking between $21 million and $35 million. I’m expecting it to land toward the lower end of that range, with a prediction of $25 million. That’s enough to put it firmly into the top two or three conversation, depending on how well the current releases hold.
With both movies potentially entering the top five, next weekend could give us another shakeup at the top. Godzilla Minus Zero will have to prove it can hold onto first place, while Ebenezer has a real shot at challenging it.
As always, we’ll find out next week.
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