NEW YORK (AP) — "Godzilla Minus Zero" stomped into movie theaters, debuting with a chart-topping $31.6 million over the weekend, achieving a record for the highest opening for a foreign-language film at the North American box office. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, this sequel to the Oscar-winning "Godzilla Minus One" easily outperformed Warner Bros.' animated film, "The Cat in the Hat," which opened with $20.5 million domestically and garnered an additional $10 million overseas.

While Godzilla recently celebrated his 72nd birthday, Yamazaki has rejuvenated one of cinema's longest-running franchises by returning to its Japanese roots. Produced by Toho and distributed in North America by GKids, "Godzilla Minus Zero" is set in post-World War II Japan.

The film's opening surpassed the previous record held by the live-action film "Hero," which debuted with $17.9 million in 2004. However, it remains below the opening of "The Passion of the Christ," which grossed $83.8 million, largely due to its Aramaic dialogue. Last year, the anime "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" opened with $70.6 million, illustrating the growing trend of international films attracting American audiences.

This weekend marked another significant milestone as "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend," a Hindi-language epic based on Indian mythology, had the widest North American release for an Indian film, launching with $8.7 million domestically and $32 million in India. Both "Godzilla Minus Zero" and "Ramayana" was released globally on the same date, contributing to their box office successes.

Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global, stated, "This historic opening shows how deeply audiences around the world connect with Godzilla and with Takashi Yamazaki's vision." Following its debut, "Godzilla Minus Zero" generated $21.3 million globally from IMAX, accounting for 34% of its total box office revenue.

The film, which had a budget of under $20 million, is poised to surpass its predecessor's record haul of $57.1 million. Since premiering at the New York Film Festival last month, it has received positive reviews from critics with a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A" CinemaScore from audiences.

In contrast, "The Cat in the Hat" struggled to gain traction, failing to impress audiences with its $86 million production budget. Garnering only $20.5 million in its opening, the film faced negative reviews with a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Compounding its issues, Laika's “Wildwood,” a stop-motion animated film, performed better despite being in its third weekend, with a minimal 22% dip in revenue and a cumulative total of $39.8 million.

Additionally, "Drummer Boy," a musical set during the Revolutionary War, debuted in third place with $9.3 million. This film's soundtrack achieved first place on the iTunes chart, further enhancing its market presence.

Another noteworthy film was Martin McDonagh’s "Wild Horse Nine," featuring actors John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. It opened with $6 million domestically and $6.6 million internationally, typifying a strong performance for an awards contender and setting a personal best for McDonagh.

Among limited releases, Jordan Firstman's "Club Kid" averaged $65,097 per theater, while Peter Farrelly's "I Play Rocky" had a per-screen average of $49,200. Meanwhile, the documentary "You Can See Everything," which focuses on Elizabeth Holmes, continued its stellar performance, grossing $8.9 million in its fourth weekend and accumulating a total of $79.8 million in North America.

Overall ticket sales surged by 96.8% compared to the previous week, following a typically slow Halloween weekend. According to Rentrak, here are the top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend:

1. "Godzilla Minus Zero" - $31.6 million
2. "The Cat in the Hat" - $20.5 million
3. "Drummer Boy" - $9.3 million
4. "You Can See Everything" - $8.9 million
5. "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" - $8.7 million
6. "Wildwood" - $7 million
7. "Clayface" - $6.7 million
8. "Wild Horse Nine" - $6 million
9. Stray Kids live viewing - $3.7 million
10. "Wicker" - $3.4 million

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press.