Chainsaw Man Leads American Cinema Earnings in Debut Weekend
Can Sony claim to have achieved another hit? Coming after the success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed over $600 million worldwide, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the hundred-million-dollar mark worldwide, reaching a international earnings of $108 million during its debut. The film outperformed the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9M) in its second week in theaters, as well as the film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Strong Domestic and Worldwide Results
Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a straightforward follow-up of the debut season of the Chainsaw Man series. It earned $18.2 million in the U.S. after a strong five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday earnings and $4.5 million Sunday. Internationally, the MAPPA-produced film added $14.7 million across 46 Sony markets, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4M via Sony (over $43 million international, $18.2M in the U.S.). Official totals are still pending from Sony its official box office total.
Benchmarks to Previous Successful Anime Films
Specialist agency White Box Entertainment noted in prior discussions, comparing the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $34M in the domestic market in 2022 and debuted with a similar $18 million stateside. Reze Arc’s opening frame matches that benchmark, while its $108M worldwide total is now positioned a bit short of that movie's $166.6 million total earnings. Even if it doesn't seem possible this Chainsaw Man film will earn the box office of blockbuster the enormous hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a huge win for the distributor.
Fan Engagement Campaigns Boost Box Office Dominance
Along with its affiliate Crunchyroll have successfully utilized audience interaction to drive their leadership at the cinema for anime films. This film's advertising push began at the Anime Expo in LA in the month of July with a discussion featuring MAPPA, special events, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a significant involvement at NYCC showcasing never-before-seen content, fan raffles, and more MAPPA sessions. There was even an exclusive fan screening for general audiences and influencers alike after the final day of the gathering.
What’s Next
This year marks a significant period for animated films, and for the studio, which has one more feature-length anime releasing this year in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.
