The Chainsaw Man Film Leads American Cinema Earnings in Opening Weekend
Can Sony claim to have achieved another hit? Coming after the triumph of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which earned in excess of $600 million at the box office, the latest Chainsaw Man film has officially crossed the $100M threshold worldwide, attaining a international earnings of over $108 million this weekend. The film surpassed Black Phone 2 (almost $13 million) in its sophomore frame in cinemas, as well as the film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Impressive U.S. and Global Earnings
Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the movie is a straightforward follow-up of the debut season of the Chainsaw Man series. It brought in over $18 million in the U.S. after a robust $5.2M Saturday earnings and $4.5M Sunday performance. Internationally, the animated by MAPPA feature added $14.7M across 46 international territories, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4 million via Sony ($43.1M abroad, $18.2M in the U.S.). Sony has yet to announce its official box office total.
Benchmarks to Other Successful Anime Films
Anime marketing agency an industry expert had earlier commented, drawing parallels between the movie's expected results to the anime hit Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $34M in the domestic market in 2022 and debuted with a comparable eighteen million dollars stateside. The new film's debut weekend aligns with that benchmark, while its $108M worldwide total presently stands just behind Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s $166.6M final run. Even if it doesn't seem possible Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will match the box office of blockbuster the enormous hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a huge win for the studio.
Fan Engagement Efforts Fuel Performance
Sony and its subsidiary Crunchyroll have successfully utilized community involvement to boost their dominance at the animated movie market. The Reze Arc promotional efforts launched at the Anime Expo in LA in summer with a discussion featuring MAPPA, special events, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a significant involvement at New York Comic Con including exclusive clips, audience giveaways, and additional MAPPA panels. Additionally, there was an private showing for enthusiasts for moviegoers and influencers alike after the last day of the event.
What’s Next
This year marks a major time for anime, and for the company, which has one more animated movie premiering this year in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.
