The Chainsaw Man Film Leads Domestic Box Office in Debut Weekend
Has Sony repeated their success? In the wake of the success of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which earned over $600 million globally, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the $100 million threshold globally, hitting a global total of over $108 million in its opening frame. The film surpassed Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second weekend in movie houses, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Impressive American and International Earnings
Helmed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a immediate sequel of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It earned $18.2 million in North America after a strong $5.2M Saturday earnings and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday. Globally, the MAPPA-produced film earned $14.7 million across 46 international territories, bringing its global earnings to over $60 million through Sony distribution ($43.1 million abroad, $18.2M domestic). Official totals are still pending from Sony its official box office total.
Parallels to Previous Successful Anime Films
Anime marketing agency White Box Entertainment had earlier commented, drawing parallels between the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $34M in the U.S. and Canada in the year 2022 and started with a comparable $18 million stateside. Reze Arc’s debut weekend matches that marker, while its $108M international sum currently tracks a bit short of that movie's over $166 million total earnings. While it is improbable this Chainsaw Man film will achieve the numbers of smash success the enormous hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a huge win for Sony.
Promotional Campaigns Fuel Success
Along with its affiliate Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged audience interaction to drive their dominance at the cinema for anime films. The movie's marketing campaign began at the Los Angeles Anime Expo in summer with a discussion featuring MAPPA, exclusive activations, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a significant involvement at the New York Comic Con including never-before-seen content, audience giveaways, and more MAPPA sessions. There was even an private showing for enthusiasts for moviegoers and popular figures too after the final day of the gathering.
What’s Next
2025 is a big year for anime, and for Sony, which has one more anime film releasing in the coming months in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.