The holiday movie season gets a crowded start this Friday, Nov. 6, when a long list of new films reaches theaters at once. Two of the biggest are Godzilla Minus Zero, the follow-up to the acclaimed Japanese hit Godzilla Minus One, and Drummer Boy, a Revolutionary War musical from Angel Studios. They arrive alongside an epic from India, a Martin McDonagh spy thriller and a Dr. Seuss cartoon, so families have plenty to sort through before buying tickets.
Here is what is opening, how each film is rated, and what parents should know before the weekend.
Godzilla Minus Zero (Rated R)
Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki, who also supervised the visual effects, returns with a story set in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One. It follows the Shikishima family as they face what the studio calls “an all-new calamity.” Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe are back in the lead roles. The film opened in Japan on Nov. 3 and comes to North America on Nov. 6, including IMAX screens, through Toho’s distributor GKIDS.
Early reviews are strong, with a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from 67 reviews as of this week. But this is not a kids’ monster movie. It is rated R for bloody images and some violent content, and it runs 2 hours and 15 minutes. Parents of younger Godzilla fans will want to watch it first or wait for a family viewing at home after checking a detailed content guide.
Drummer Boy (Rated PG-13)
Angel Studios’ Drummer Boy is a musical set as the American fight for independence begins. Two brothers end up on opposite sides of the battlefield, while an enslaved woman seeks freedom in a society built to deny it. The studio describes it as a story of love, sacrifice, faith and forgiveness, with music woven throughout and a Christmas theme at its heart.
The film was directed by brothers Ben Smallbone and Joel David Smallbone, who also stars. The cast includes Lucas Leach, India Brown, Ioan Gruffudd, Melora Hardin, Iain Glen and Charles Esten. It is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 9 minutes. Because it depicts war and slavery, it may suit teens and older children better than little ones, even with its faith themes.
Also opening Friday
- Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (PG-13): Sony is releasing part one of this large-scale retelling of the Hindu epic, directed by Nitesh Tawari, worldwide around the same date.
- Wild Horse Nine (R): Martin McDonagh’s spy thriller follows two CIA agents on a mission in 1973 Chile, with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in the cast. It is for adults.
- Jimmy (PG-13): A Fathom Entertainment drama starring KJ Apa about an actor and the role that saved his career.
- The Cat in the Hat (PG): The animated Dr. Seuss film, with Bill Hader voicing the Cat, is the weekend’s main pick for young children. We covered it in detail in our look at ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and the Halloween box office.
Where the box office stands
The new films arrive after a slow Halloween weekend. A24’s documentary You Can See Everything, from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, finished first with about $10.6 million, edging DC’s horror film Clayface at about $10.4 million, according to Box Office Mojo figures reported by Rotten Tomatoes and Awards Radar. Rotten Tomatoes noted it is the first non-concert documentary to top the box office since Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.
Laika’s stop-motion fantasy Wildwood placed third with about $7.4 million to $7.5 million and held up well, falling only about 39%. On Sunday alone it climbed to second place, according to The Numbers. Parents should note that Wildwood is Laika’s first PG-13 film, rated for strong fantasy violence and bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language. Despite the animation, it is not aimed at young children.
Why it matters for families
Animation and monsters can look kid-friendly on a poster, but two of this season’s most talked-about films, Godzilla Minus Zero and Wildwood, carry ratings above PG. A few simple habits help:
- Check the full MPA rating reason, not just the letter, before buying tickets.
- Watch a trailer together and talk about anything that might be scary.
- Read a detailed parents’ guide for films about war, history or loss, such as Drummer Boy.
- Consider a matinee for younger kids, when theaters are usually quieter.
If you are planning ahead for the holidays, our parents’ guide to Greta Gerwig’s PG-rated Narnia looks at another big family release on the way.
What to watch next
First box office estimates for the Nov. 6 openers should arrive Sunday, Nov. 8. Upstormed News will report how the new releases performed and keep an eye on ratings for the rest of the holiday lineup.
Read more: CMA Awards Turn 60: Ella Langley Leads, Lainey Wilson Hosts on Nov. 18
Which new release is your family most excited to see this weekend, and how do you decide what is right for your kids?
Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, “Weekend Box Office: You Can See Everything Hits a Milestone Over Slow Halloween Weekend” (November 1, 2026); Awards Radar, “Box Office Report for the Week of November 1” (November 1, 2026); The Numbers, “Daily Domestic Box Office Chart for Sunday, November 1, 2026”; Rotten Tomatoes, “Godzilla Minus Zero”; Wikipedia, “Godzilla Minus Zero”; Angel Studios, “Angel’s New Revolutionary War Musical Drummer Boy Releases Exclusively in Theaters November 6, 2026” (July 29, 2026); Angel Studios, “Drummer Boy (2026)”; PopCultHQ, “Movie News: In Theaters This Week – November 6, 2026”; Dark Horizons, “LAIKA’s ‘Wildwood’ Snags a PG-13 Rating”
Leave a Reply