‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ and ‘Ramayana: Rise of a Legend’ Roar at International Box Office

Asian cinema dominated the worldwide box office over the weekend as Toho and Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” and Namit Malhotra and Nitesh Tiwari’s Indian epic “Ramayana: Rise of a Legend” posted thunderous global debuts, fueled by historic attendance on premium large format and Imax screens.

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Leading the charge across the globe, “Godzilla Minus Zero” stomped to a massive $63 million worldwide bow, led by a scorching $31.6 million North American debut via distributor GKIDS and an additional $31.4 million from international territories. The R-rated monster sequel shattered the long-standing domestic milestone for the largest opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film, comfortably besting the previous high-water mark set by Zhang Yimou’s martial arts spectacle “Hero,” which opened to $17.8 million in 2002.

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Audience and critical reception ran sky-high, boasting a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” grade from CinemaScore exit polling. Premium formats played an outsized role in the titan’s rampage, with PLF auditoriums, including Dolby, accounting for a staggering 74% of domestic ticket sales, outperforming recent visual benchmarks like “The Odyssey,” which drew 53% from PLFs during its debut.

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Globally, “Godzilla Minus Zero” brought in $21.3 million from Imax screens alone, capturing 34% of its…

Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/

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