Chainsaw Man Leads the U.S. Cinema Earnings in Opening Weekend
Has Sony done it again? In the wake of the triumph of the blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which brought in over $600 million at the box office, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the $100M mark internationally, attaining a worldwide gross of $108M in its opening frame. The film surpassed the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second week in movie houses, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Notable Domestic and Global Earnings
Directed by filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of the initial season of Chainsaw Man. It grossed $18.2M in the U.S. after a powerful five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday box office and $4.5M Sunday take. Internationally, the MAPPA-produced film grossed $14.7 million across 46 Sony markets, bringing its global earnings to over $60 million under Sony ($43.1M abroad, $18.2 million stateside). Sony has yet to announce its complete box office tally.
Benchmarks to Past Anime Hits
Promotional firm a leading anime marketing group previously spoke, comparing the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned thirty-four million dollars in the U.S. and Canada in the year 2022 and started with a comparable $18M domestically. Reze Arc’s first weekend is in line with that benchmark, while its $108 million worldwide total currently tracks a bit short of the earlier film's $166.6M total earnings. Even if it doesn't seem possible this Chainsaw Man film will match the box office of smash success the enormous hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a major victory for the studio.
Marketing Efforts Fuel Performance
Along with its affiliate Crunchyroll have successfully utilized community involvement to boost their dominance at the cinema for anime films. The Reze Arc advertising push began at the Anime Expo in LA in the month of July with a discussion featuring MAPPA, exclusive activations, and Pochita photo ops, and later included a major presence at New York Comic Con featuring behind-the-scenes footage, fan raffles, and more MAPPA sessions. Moreover, organizers held an special preview for fans for the public and popular figures too after the last day of the event.
Looking Ahead
This year marks a big year for anime, and for the company, which has another feature-length anime premiering in the coming months in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.