Mohawk Valley Voice · Weekend Box Office · November 6–8, 2026
By David Laguerre
A monster takes first place, a familiar cat falls short of early tracking, and the holiday season brings a new challenger.
Godzilla Minus Zero leads the domestic weekend with a reported $30.59 million, ahead of The Cat in the Hat at $20.00 million. The result gives November a clear leader after the close Halloween contest covered in last week’s column.
There is a difference between winning the chart and beating expectations. Godzilla finished within the early forecast range we discussed last week. The Cat fell below it. A third newcomer, Drummer Boy, delivered the more striking surprise against that same dated benchmark.
The domestic top 10
| Rank | Movie | Weekend gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godzilla Minus Zero | $30,587,672 |
| 2 | The Cat in the Hat | $20,002,705 |
| 3 | Drummer Boy | $9,421,843 |
| 4 | Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | $8,939,505 |
| 5 | You Can See Everything | $8,442,842 |
| 6 | Wildwood | $7,210,898 |
| 7 | Clayface | $6,728,001 |
| 8 | Wild Horse Nine | $5,906,410 |
| 9 | Wicker | $3,411,738 |
| 10 | Street Fighter | $2,121,819 |
Source: The Numbers’ dated weekend chart, checked November 10. These are the chart’s updated reported figures, not the earlier Sunday estimates. The chart is the sole source for this table; figures may be revised. Positions nine and ten follow the listed grosses in descending order; the extracted source leaves their rank cells blank. Box Office Mojo’s corresponding page returned “No data available” when checked.
Winners, disappointments and the forecast test
Box Office Theory’s October 22 tracking, published October 23, placed both Godzilla and The Cat in a $25 million–$35 million opening range. The comparison is to an early forecast, not necessarily the industry’s final expectation immediately before release.
Godzilla’s reported opening lands comfortably inside that band. The Cat’s $20.00 million falls about $5 million below its lower end. That makes Godzilla the weekend winner and The Cat a disappointment against this particular benchmark. Neither judgment establishes a movie’s eventual profit or loss. Production costs, marketing, exhibitors’ share and later revenue all matter.
Drummer Boy is the upside surprise: its reported $9.42 million exceeds the early $2 million–$5 million forecast. Wild Horse Nine finishes near the top of its $2 million–$6 million band. Those comparisons show why the biggest opening is not always the biggest surprise.
Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, listed as Ramayana: Part 1 in the early forecast, falls below that forecast’s $11 million–$16 million three-day range. Its longer opening period must not be substituted for its Friday–Sunday result.
Keep the reporting periods separate
Variety’s November 8 report distinguishes Ramayana’s early estimate of roughly $8.6 million for the traditional weekend from about $12.1 million across its first four days. The updated Numbers chart now lists $8,939,505 for the three-day weekend and $12,445,187 for the four-day opening. This column uses only the three-day figure in the ranking. That extra day reflects its release pattern, not a four-day holiday weekend.
Reports also differ in some totals and lower-chart placements. Rather than combine estimates from different reporting times, the table consistently follows The Numbers. A later revision can change a ranking without changing the broad picture at the top.
Next weekend: Ebenezer enters the race
Paramount’s current movie listings confirm a November 13 theatrical date for Ebenezer. It is this column’s editorial pick for the new release to watch most closely, not a claim that every audience survey ranks it first.
There is evidence behind the interest. In its November 6 update, Box Office Theory raised the opening outlook to $19 million–$27 million, with a $22 million central forecast. The outlet cited improving family-interest metrics and its sampled presales. Those are its tracking observations, not ticket-sales data collected by Mohawk Valley Voice.
The same update projects $8 million–$15 million for How to Rob a Bank, $2.5 million–$5 million for Victorian Psycho, and $4 million–$8 million for the Friday–Sunday portion of Ghost Soldier, which it lists as opening Wednesday, November 11. These are published forecasts, not results. A Wednesday opening total should not be compared directly with a three-day estimate.
Editorial prediction: Ebenezer is the tentative pick to lead the new arrivals and challenge for first place November 13–15. Godzilla’s second-weekend hold is the main unknown. If it retains about two-thirds of this opening, it would earn about $20.4 million; if it drops by half, it would earn about $15.3 million. Both scenarios leave room for Ebenezer’s $22 million central forecast. Those are illustrative scenarios, not fresh tracking or a prediction that either drop will occur.
For Mohawk Valley readers planning a movie night, the national release calendar is a starting point, not a guarantee of a local showtime. Check the chosen theater’s current listings before making the trip.