Dhaka, Nov. 10 -- "Godzilla Minus Zero" led the North American box office with a record $30.5 million debut for a live-action foreign-language film, while "The Cat in the Hat" opened with $20 million, according to Variety.

The Japanese production, distributed in the US by Gkids, collected $31.4 million from 77 international markets, taking its worldwide opening total to $62 million, Variety reports.

Its North American debut broke the previous record for a live-action foreign-language release, held by China's "Hero", which earned $17.8 million in 2002.

Strong reviews and audience reactions helped drive ticket sales. The R-rated sequel received a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls.

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