Godzilla Minus Zero heads for about $32 million in North America, nearly triple Minus One's opening

The stories

15 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Godzilla Minus Zero heads for about $32 million in North America, nearly triple Minus One's opening

   $32 million

   estimated first weekend in North America

   TheWrap's industry estimate is $31 million [2]

   $11.4 million

   what Godzilla Minus One opened to in 2023

   it went on to take $57.1 million there [1]

   4

   non-English films ever to top the US box office

   one of the others is the anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle [2]

   590,000

   tickets sold on its first day in Japan

   a record for a live-action film there [5]

   What happened

   • Godzilla Minus Zero, a Japanese monster film, took $14.5 million in North America on Friday, counting Thursday's early shows. [1]
   • That puts it on course for about $32 million this weekend. [1] Godzilla Minus One opened to $11.4 million in 2023. [2]
   • It is only the fourth non-English film ever to top the US box office. [2] The others are The Passion of the Christ, Hero and the anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. [2]
   • Before release, industry forecasts put its opening at $25 million to $30 million. [4] GKIDS had expected the mid-$20 millions. [1]
   • It is the biggest opening GKIDS has ever had. [4] Its best before was $13 million, for The Boy and the Heron. [4]
   • It played in 3,254 cinemas. [1] GKIDS booked every Imax screen in North America for it, Deadline reports. [4]
   • Deadline understands GKIDS's North American marketing budget was under $10 million, mostly for social media. [4]
   • In Japan it opened on 3 November and sold 590,000 tickets on its first day. [5]
   • That day took 910 million yen. [5] Toho says it was a record first day for a live-action film in Japan. [5]
   • The same week it opened across Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. [5]
   • Forecasts put its first weekend abroad at over $30 million, about $60 million worldwide. [4]
   • It is the first Japanese film shot for Imax, the extra-large cinema screens. [6]
   • It is also the first Godzilla film given an R rating, a US parental warning. [7]
   • Audiences gave it an A in CinemaScore's exit poll. [2] On Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of critics and 96% of viewers liked it. [2]
   • Before release it was the centrepiece film of the Tokyo International Film Festival, with sold-out screenings. [8]

   Minus One's opening, 2023$11.40 million

   Minus Zero's opening, estimate$32 million

   Who is involved

   It is the 38th Godzilla film and the 34th made by Toho, the Japanese company that created Godzilla. [3]

   GKIDS, the company that released Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron, released it in North America. [4] Toho bought GKIDS in October 2024. [5]

   Takashi Yamazaki wrote and directed it, and ran its visual effects, as he did on Minus One. [5]

   • Toho the Japanese film company that created Godzilla in 1954; it made Minus Zero and owns GKIDS
   • GKIDS a North American film distributor, bought by Toho in 2024; it put the film in 3,254 cinemas
   • Takashi Yamazaki the Japanese director who wrote both films and ran their visual effects

   How it unfolded

   Minus One opened in December 2023 and took $57.1 million in North America in all. [1]

   In 2024 it won the Oscar for visual effects, the first Japanese film to do so. [4][1]

   Minus One was made for $10 million, Deadline reports. [4] Minus Zero's budget is reported to be in the mid-teens of millions. [1]

   1. Dec 2023 Godzilla Minus One opens to $11.4 million in North America [1]
   2. 2024 it wins an Oscar
   3. This week Minus Zero opens
   4. This weekend about $32 million
   5. 13 to 15 Nov the second weekend
   6. 1954 Toho's first Godzilla film opens on 3 November [5]
   7. Oct 2024 Toho buys GKIDS [5]
   8. 3 Nov 2026 Minus Zero sells 590,000 tickets on its first day in Japan [5]
   9. 6 Nov 2026 It opens in 3,254 North American cinemas [1]

   Why it matters

   Japan's government wants overseas sales of Japanese films, shows and other content to reach $127 billion by 2033. [9]

   Godzilla Minus One was the most-watched film on streaming last week, says JustWatch, a streaming guide. [2] TheWrap reads that as new viewers catching up. [2]

   How it works

   Media economists call it the cultural discount: a film earns less abroad when its language and setting are foreign. [4]

   Only 4 non-English films have ever topped the US box office, so the discount is usually steep. [2]

   Yamazaki says making Minus One for Japan's own viewers "became our greatest strength". [10]

   Seen it before

   A song in a language you do not speak needs a great tune before you play it twice.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Toho made Godzilla Minus Zero for a reported budget in the mid-teens of millions of dollars, and it is estimated at $31 million to $32 million in its first North American weekend. [1][2]
   • The $32 million and $31 million are estimates built on Friday's takings, not final counts. [1][2]
   • Who gains Toho — It has owned GKIDS, the film's North American distributor, since October 2024, so the release runs through its own company. [5]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether its crowds hold up in the second weekend.

     TheWrap says fans of Minus One may simply have rushed in first, which only the next weekend's count can show. [2]

   Good news

   • Godzilla Minus Zero, made in Japanese for a reported budget in the mid-teens of millions of dollars, became only the fourth non-English film to top the US box office.

   What comes next

   The weekend of 13 to 15 November will show whether Minus One's fans simply rushed in first. [2]

   Yamazaki puts a third Godzilla film at "fifty-fifty". [10] His next film is Grandgear, an English-language robot film. [10]

1. 02

   Blizzard says WoW: Forever set records

   What happened

   • Blizzard says World of Warcraft: Forever had "the biggest launch in WoW history by peak concurrent players". [14]
   • That means the most people playing at the same moment. [14] It also claims the most returning players in the game's history. [14]
   • Its executive producer, Holly Longdale, said it drew the most new players to a WoW launch in 15 years. [20]

   Who is involved

   Players' response to that mode is what got Forever made, designer Josh Greenfield told Bloomberg. [21]

   • Josh Greenfield senior game designer, Blizzard

   How it unfolded

   Forever, which opened on 4 November, starts again from the 2004 game, with modern visuals. [14]

   Blizzard first tried the idea in Season of Discovery, a 2023 mode that remixed the old game. [21]

   1. 2004 World of Warcraft opens
   2. 4 Nov Forever opens
   3. 9 Dec first raids open

   Why it matters

   Forever comes with the usual WoW subscription, so each returning player pays Blizzard again. [14]

   How it works

   Product managers call this a market test: try an idea small before paying to build it in full. [21]

   Season of Discovery's success helped convince Blizzard's leaders to approve Forever. [21]

   Seen it before

   A cafe sells a new cake as a weekend special before it goes on the menu.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Several other big claims today come with no number behind them: Blizzard's record WoW launch, Bit Reactor's layoffs and Sony's delayed speakers. [14][18][19]
   • Why it works on people A word like record or biggest sounds like a measurement, so a claim with no figure in it gets repeated as if it had one.
   • Blizzard no longer publishes subscriber numbers, so its records cannot be checked against a count. [14]
   • Who gains Blizzard — WoW: Forever comes with the standard WoW subscription, so every returning player pays it again. [14]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many people WoW: Forever really drew.

     Blizzard no longer publishes subscriber numbers, so its records have no count behind them. [14]

   Good news

   • Blizzard says WoW: Forever drew more new players than any WoW launch in 15 years.

   What comes next

   Its first raids, big group missions, open on 9 December. [22]

2. 03

   Zero Company's studio lays off staff

   What happened

   • Bit Reactor, the studio behind the tactics game Star Wars Zero Company, has laid off staff. [18]
   • Developers posted the news on LinkedIn on 6 November. [18] The studio has not said how many lost their jobs. [18]
   • "While it stings, I'm really proud of what we built together," Lopez wrote. [18]
   • The game then sold 1 million copies within a month. [23]

   Who is involved

   Ryan Lopez, an environment artist on the game for three and a half years, was one. [18]

   • Bit Reactor made Star Wars Zero Company

   How it unfolded

   Before the game came out on 27 August, about 80% of staff were furloughed, one source says. [18]

   The studio appeared to have run out of money just before release. [18]

   On 7 October its boss, Greg Foertsch, said staff were returning. [18] More than half are thought to have come back. [18]

   1. 27 Aug game out, most staff furloughed
   2. 7 Oct staff start returning
   3. 6 Nov layoffs posted

   Why it matters

   Selling 1 million copies was not enough to bring everyone back, PC Gamer notes. [23]

   How it works

   Employers use a furlough to pause a worker's job without ending it. [24]

   Foertsch said the furlough was needed "to help us eventually bring as many people back as possible". [18]

   Seen it before

   A shop sends staff home in a quiet week, hoping the busy season pays for their return.

   The truth

   • It is not clear whether staff who came back in October are among those now laid off. [18]
   • Who pays Bit Reactor's laid-off developers — Some spent years on Zero Company and lost their jobs after months of furlough, though the game sold well. [18][23]
3. 04

   Sony delays its PlayStation speakers

   What happened

   • On 6 November Sony delayed its Pulse Elevate speakers, due on sale on 12 November. [19]
   • Sony said its quality tests had found "a production issue", and gave no new date. [25]
   • They cost $219.99 in the US and work with the PS5, PCs, Macs and the PlayStation Portal handheld. [19]

   Who is involved

   Pulse Elevate is Sony's first pair of wireless speakers for gaming at a desk. [25]

   How it unfolded

   Pre-orders opened in September, and some online hardware reviewers appear to have received theirs. [26]

   1. 6 Nov delay announced
   2. 12 Nov planned launch

   Why it matters

   People who pre-ordered do not know what happens to their orders, as Sony has named no refund policy. [26]

   How it works

   Quality engineers teach that a fault costs more to fix the later it is found. [25]

   Sony's fault was found after pre-orders opened in September, so the fix now holds up every order. [26]

   Seen it before

   Finding a typo before printing costs a pen stroke; finding it after costs a reprint.

   The truth

   • Sony has not said what the fault is, or how many speakers were made before it was found. [19]
   • Who pays People who pre-ordered Pulse Elevate — Their speakers will not arrive on the planned day, and Sony has named no new date or refund policy. [26]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What went wrong with Sony's Pulse Elevate speakers, and what happens to pre-orders.

     Sony named only a production issue, with no new date and no refund policy. [25][26]

1. 05

   Pokemon's anime studio colours frames with AI

   What happened

   • OLM, the Japanese studio that makes the Pokemon cartoons, has built an AI tool that colours anime frames. [11]
   • An artist paints 3 frames by hand, and the tool learns that show's colours in about 90 seconds. [11]
   • It then colours each remaining frame in about 15 seconds. [11]
   • Yotsukura Tatsuo, a board director at OLM Digital, estimates it cut painting work by about 30% at the trial stage. [11]
   • Blue Spirit, the French studio behind Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai, says it may not use AI on Netflix projects. [11]

   Who is involved

   OLM has about 600 staff in Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and the US. [11]

   How it unfolded

   The tool came from a 15-month project under GENIAC, a Japanese government AI programme. [11]

   Why it matters

   OLM is hired after a show's budget is set. [11] It sees AI as a way to gain creative freedom within that budget, not to shrink it. [11]

   How it works

   Labour economists call that a complement: when a machine speeds one job, the job beside it grows. [11]

   The tool paints faster, so more finished frames reach OLM's checkers, who now have somewhat more to do. [11]

   Seen it before

   A faster dishwasher makes more work for whoever dries the plates.

   Why a studio saves up changes and makes them all at once

   Operations managers call it a setup cost: money spent every time a job starts, so firms put more work into each start.

   The twist

   Ten changes sent together cost Studio Meta-K one extra render. The same ten changes sent one a day cost it ten renders.

   The picture

   1 renderSent together

   vsvs

   10 rendersSent one a day

   Step by step

   1. 1 Some costs are paid every time a job starts
   2. 2 They are the same for a small job or a big one
   3. 3 So more work per start makes each piece cheaper
   4. 4 So makers save work up and do it in fewer, bigger runs
   5. 5 The price is waiting: each piece sits until its run begins

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • OLM's AI colouring tool

     The tool spends about 90 seconds learning a show from 3 painted frames, then 15 seconds a frame, so a long run pays the learning back.

   • Heated Rivalry's back-to-back shoot

     Crave is filming seasons 2 and 3 in one run and the film straight after, so one production run covers what could have been three shoots.

   • Wardogs' longer seasons

     Every season ends in a full wipe and a new update, and Bulkhead now runs 3-month seasons, which it says gives the team more time to prepare each one.

   Where you've seen this

   Laundry

   a full load costs the same machine run as a few socks

   Bakeries

   heating the oven costs the same for one loaf or a full tray

   Printing

   setting up a press costs the same for a few copies or thousands, so books are printed in big runs

   The catch

   Saving work up only pays when waiting is cheap. A fault in a big run spreads to every piece, and a fix players need now cannot wait months for the next big update.

   And the whole of it

   A client who sends one note a day sees a small request each time. The studio sees ten render bills, and the people waiting to watch the film see none of it.

   The truth

   • The 30% is Yotsukura's own estimate from a trial, not a count from a finished series. [11]
   • Who pays OLM's checkers — Faster AI colouring sends them more frames to review, so they have somewhat more to do. [11]

1. 06

   AI films could cost more than 35mm, a studio warns

   What happened

   • Kim Kwang-jib, head of Korea's Studio Meta-K, warned in Taipei that AI films could cost more than 35mm film. [12]
   • He said the AI bill for a 100-minute film can top 500 million won, about $366,000, with the costliest tools. [12]
   • AI firms are losing money and keep prices low for now, he said. [12] At ten times the price, that bill could be about $3.66 million. [12]
   • Korean and Taiwanese features usually cost $2.2 million to $3.66 million, he said. [12]
   • Each change means paying to render, or redraw, the scene again. [12]
   • Kim said 10 changes sent at once cost 1 extra render. [12] Sent one a day for 10 days, they need 10 renders. [12]

   Who is involved

   • Kim Kwang-jib founder, Studio Meta-K

   How it unfolded

   1. Before a year and four months to make
   2. 25 Nov Raphael in cinemas

   Why it matters

   So a film's final budget depends on how few rounds of changes it has, he said. [12]

   How it works

   Operations managers call this a setup cost: a cost paid each time work starts, however small the job. [12]

   Each render is one setup, so 10 changes in a single render share one cost between them. [12]

   Seen it before

   Running a washing machine for one sock uses as much water as a full load.

   The truth

   • Kim's numbers are for the costliest paid tools; his studio uses free open-source tools for easy shots. [12]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What AI tools will cost film studios in a year or two.

     Studio Meta-K's boss says AI firms are losing money and keeping prices low, and nobody has said when or how far prices will rise. [12]

   What comes next

   Raphael, a 139-minute Korean feature made with AI by MBC C&I, opens in Korean cinemas on 25 November. [12]

2. 07

   Heated Rivalry films two seasons in one go

   What happened

   • Heated Rivalry, a hit ice-hockey romance series, is filming seasons 2 and 3 back to back, Deadline reports. [17]
   • A film is due to shoot in December, straight after, for cinemas the following December. [17]
   • The film is said to follow the show's other couple, Scott and Kip, without the 2 leads. [17]
   • This weekend, 880 cinemas are showing season 1 in pairs of episodes. [17] They took $420,000 on Friday. [17]

   Who is involved

   The series is made for Crave, a Canadian streaming service, and streams on HBO Max in the US. [17]

   • Crave Canadian streaming service
   • HBO Max streams it in the US
   • Connor Storrie lead actor
   • Hudson Williams lead actor

   How it unfolded

   Season 1 premiered on 28 November last year and made its 2 leads, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, famous. [17]

   1. Now seasons 2 and 3 filming
   2. December the film shoots
   3. Next December film in cinemas
   4. Spring 2027 season 2, probably April
   5. Next December the film

   Why it matters

   Regal's own distribution arm is putting the streaming show in cinemas, so it earns a second time. [17]

   How it works

   Crave is filming seasons 2 and 3 in one run and the film straight after, so one production run covers what could have been three shoots.

   The idea, in story 05: Why a studio saves up changes and makes them all at once →

   The truth

   • Crave says there are "no projects to confirm", and the report rests on unnamed sources. [17]
   • Who gains Regal cinemas — Its distribution arm sells cinema tickets for a series people can already stream at home. [17]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Heated Rivalry has really been given a third season and a film.

     Deadline's report rests on unnamed sources, and Crave says it has no projects to confirm. [17]

   What comes next

   Season 2 is due in spring 2027, probably in April. [17]

3. 08

   Fans release Mass Effect 3's online mode

   What happened

   • A fan team released Mass Effect 3's online team mode for the game's Legendary Edition on 7 November. [15]
   • It is free for anyone who owns Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the 2021 remaster of the trilogy. [15]
   • It adds new modes, redrawn textures and controller support, and players can run their own servers. [28]
   • It came out weeks after EA closed BioWare, the studio that made Mass Effect. [15]

   Who is involved

   • ME3Tweaks the fan team that made it

   How it unfolded

   The 2021 remaster had left the online mode out, though it had loyal players. [15]

   The team, ME3Tweaks, began the project on 7 November 2023, Kotaku reports. [27]

   1. 2021 remaster ships without it
   2. 7 Nov 2023 fans start work
   3. This week mode released

   Why it matters

   Modder Audemus says fans have always tried to "carry the torch for this franchise", and now feel it more. [28]

   How it works

   Economists call a cost of getting into a market a barrier to entry. [29]

   Mgamerz, who leads the team, says modding's difficulty used to filter out poor mods, and AI tools are removing it. [29]

   Seen it before

   When anyone can post a recipe online, finding a good one takes longer.

   The truth

   • Mgamerz says "modding is kind of dying", though he also says AI is bringing new people in. [29]
   • Who gains Electronic Arts — The fans' free online mode for Mass Effect 3 works only for people who own EA's Legendary Edition. [15]
   • Who pays Modders who work without AI — Mgamerz says they now have to work in secret, because others can copy an idea with AI in a day or two. [29]

   Good news

   • After three years of work, fans brought back a mode the remaster left out, free to its owners. [15]
   • A fan team called ME3Tweaks released Mass Effect 3's online mode for the Legendary Edition on 7 November, free to anyone who owns the game, after three years of work.
4. 09

   Wardogs bans 185,000 accounts

   What happened

   • Bulkhead, the studio behind the shooter Wardogs, is banning 185,000 player accounts. [30]
   • It says it permanently banned exploiters, real-money traders and gold-farming groups, which sell in-game money for cash. [30]
   • Its anti-cheat system studied 187 million hours of play, with help from machine learning. [30]
   • Season 3 starts on 12 November with a new city map and a full wipe of player progress. [30]
   • From now on each season lasts 3 months, giving the team more time to prepare updates. [30]

   Who is involved

   Wardogs is a 100-player shooter, sold unfinished in early access on Steam since 10 September. [30]

   How it unfolded

   1. 12 Nov Season 3 and a full wipe
   2. 2027 a player trust score

   Why it matters

   Its boss, Joe Brammer, said protecting fair players "is essential to everything we're building". [30]

   How it works

   Game designers call this a wipe: everyone's progress resets, so all players start the season level. [30]

   Bulkhead says Season 2 moved players along "too aggressively", so Season 3 moves closer to Season 1's pace. [30]

   Seen it before

   A new school year starts everyone in a new class, whatever they did last year.

   Every season ends in a full wipe and a new update, and Bulkhead now runs 3-month seasons, which it says gives the team more time to prepare each one.

   The idea, in story 05: Why a studio saves up changes and makes them all at once →

   What comes next

   A player "trust score" is planned for 2027. [30]

5. 10

   Nolan says studios must guard films from AI

   What happened

   • Christopher Nolan, president of the Directors Guild of America, says studios must protect their films from AI copying. [13]
   • He said the legal notice at the end of his film The Odyssey forbids its use as AI training data. [13]
   • He said it was the first time the notice had carried that message. [13]
   • "With very few exceptions in the Guild, we are not the copyright holders," Nolan said. [13]
   • So it is down to the studios that own the films to go after AI copies, he said. [13]

   Who is involved

   • Christopher Nolan president, Directors Guild of America

   Why it matters

   Directors' residuals, payments when a film earns again, depend on studios making money from those copyrights, he said. [13]

   How it works

   Lawyers call this standing: only the owner of a right can go to court over it. [13]

   Directors rarely own their films' copyright, so their guild must push the studios to sue. [13]

   Seen it before

   Only a bike's owner can report it stolen, even if a friend rides it every day.

   The truth

   • Nolan's view that fair use "won't hold up in court" is his own forecast. [13] He says some rulings already went against AI firms. [13]
6. 11

   Assassin's Creed reportedly heads to Rome

   What happened

   • Ubisoft is reportedly making an Assassin's Creed game set in ancient Rome, codenamed Mars. [31]
   • A second game, codenamed Pocket, is said to be a phone game set in Jerusalem. [31]
   • Insider Gaming, a games news site, says it heard the codenames but could not confirm them. [31]

   Who is involved

   The claims come from a YouTuber, Xj0nathan, who says 2 sources with access to Ubisoft's systems backed them. [31]

   • Xj0nathan YouTuber who made the claims

   How it unfolded

   The series went to Rome before, in 2010's Brotherhood, but set in the Renaissance. [31]

   1. 2010 Brotherhood: Renaissance Rome
   2. Reported Mars: ancient Rome
   3. 2029 earliest news, Insider Gaming thinks
   4. 2030 or later

   Why it matters

   The Rome game may tie in with the coming Assassin's Creed TV series, Xj0nathan says. [31]

   The truth

   • Neither the YouTuber nor Insider Gaming names its sources. [31]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Ubisoft is making Assassin's Creed games set in Rome and Jerusalem.

     The claim comes from a YouTuber's sources, and Insider Gaming could not confirm it well enough to report it. [31]

   What comes next

   Insider Gaming does not expect news of Mars until 2029 or 2030. [31]

7. 12

   An ex-PlayStation boss asks for a $300 console

   What happened

   • Shawn Layden, a former head of PlayStation, says the next PlayStation does not need more power. [32]
   • He said the real step forward would be "to make another PS5 for $300". [32]
   • The PS5 and Xbox Series consoles now cost more than at their launch 6 years ago. [32]

   Who is involved

   • Shawn Layden former head of PlayStation

   How it unfolded

   Sony sold the PS4 for $399 when it was new, he recalled. [32]

   GamesRadar ties the rises to a shortage of memory chips, as AI data centres buy them up. [32]

   Why it matters

   Layden says high prices shut out the buyers who usually join late in a console's life, when it is cheaper. [32]

   The truth

   • He called it the first console family he has seen go up in price over time. [32]
8. 13

   GOG's game app comes to Linux

   What happened

   • GOG, an online shop that sells PC games without copy protection, says its Galaxy app is coming to Linux. [33]
   • Linux is a free computer operating system, an alternative to Windows and macOS. [33]
   • GOG says Galaxy stays optional: "Your games are yours to download and keep". [33]
   • It also announced GOG Social, a place for game talk with "zero algorithmic noise". [33]

   Who is involved

   Galaxy is GOG's desktop app for keeping games from several shops in one library. [33]

   • GOG Galaxy GOG's desktop app

   How it unfolded

   GOG announced it at its first GOG Showcase, an online event, on Thursday. [33]

   1. Thursday GOG Showcase
   2. 2027 new Galaxy app

   Why it matters

   Linux players can already use other free tools, such as Heroic and Lutris, to run GOG's games. [33]

   How it works

   Economists call using several rival platforms at once multi-homing. [33]

   Galaxy shows games from rival shops in one library, so players can keep buying from several. [33]

   Seen it before

   One music app that plays songs from all your other apps saves switching between them.

   The truth

   • PC Gamer says the old Galaxy 2.0 never left testing and ran poorly next to Steam. [33]

   What comes next

   The reworked app arrives in 2027 on Windows, Mac and Linux. [33]

9. 14

   A buggy 2001 D&D game returns, fixed

   What happened

   • Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, a 2001 Dungeons & Dragons game, is on sale again and playable. [16]
   • SNEG's new version is on Steam and GOG. [16]
   • The new version adds widescreen, controller support and adjustable combat speed. [16]

   How it unfolded

   The original was notorious for bugs that corrupted saved games and made quest items vanish. [16]

   Most infamously, uninstalling it deleted files the computer needed, PC Gamer's old review said. [16]

   1. 2001 released, full of bugs
   2. Now back on sale, fixed

   Why it matters

   Players who skipped it in 2001 for its bugs, like the reviewer, can now play it smoothly. [16]

   The truth

   • The reviewer calls the game itself "junk food D&D": simple, not a lost classic. [16]

   Good news

   • In its opening hours the new version lost no items and corrupted no saves, the reviewer says. [16]
10. 15

    The Cat in the Hat opens below forecast

    What happened

    • The Cat in the Hat, a cartoon from Warner Bros.' animation studio, came second, heading for about $18 million. [1]
    • Warner had projected a $20 million opening for the film, which cost $92 million to make. [1]

    Who is involved

    Bill Hader voices the cat in the cartoon of Dr Seuss's 1957 children's book. [1]

    It is the studio's first film since Bill Damaschke took charge of it in 2023. [1]

    • Bill Hader voices the cat

    How it unfolded

    Earlier Dr Seuss cartoons opened far higher. [34] The Lorax took $70 million in 2012, and The Grinch $67 million in 2018. [34]

    Why it matters

    Audiences gave it an A, and Warner hopes word of mouth carries it through Thanksgiving. [2]

    TheWrap says the start risks adding it to Warner's list of disappointing films this year. [2]

    The truth

    • Variety puts early projections at $20 million to $25 million. [35] Warner's own was $20 million. [1]
    • Who pays Warner Bros. Pictures Animation — Its cartoon opened below its own forecast, so it needs families to keep coming through Thanksgiving. [1][2]
    • Nobody knows yet

      How much Godzilla Minus Zero really took this weekend.

      The figures so far are estimates built on Friday's takings: $32 million in THR and Variety, $31 million in TheWrap. [1][35][2]

    What comes next

    Disney's Hexed opens on Thanksgiving weekend, competing for the same families. [2]