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Can Sony claim to have achieved another hit? Coming after the success of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which brought in over $600 million worldwide, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has reached beyond the $100 million milestone globally, hitting a international earnings of $108 million in its opening frame. The film beat out the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its sophomore frame in cinemas, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with actor Jeremy Allen White ($9M).

Strong Domestic and International Earnings

Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the feature is a straightforward follow-up of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in $18.2 million in North America after a powerful five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday and $4.5M Sunday. Overseas, the animated by MAPPA movie earned nearly $15 million across 46 global regions, bringing its global earnings to over $60 million via Sony ($43.1 million overseas, $18.2 million stateside). The studio has not yet revealed its official box office total.

Parallels to Past Blockbuster Anime Movies

Anime marketing agency a leading anime marketing group previously spoke, drawing parallels between the feature's anticipated earnings to the anime hit Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which grossed $34 million in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 and opened to a similar $18M domestically. The new film's opening frame matches that benchmark, while its hundred-and-eight-million-dollar international sum is now positioned a bit short of that movie's $166.6M overall box office. Although it’s unlikely this Chainsaw Man film will achieve the numbers of blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a significant success for the distributor.

Promotional Campaigns Boost Box Office Dominance

Along with its affiliate Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged fan engagement to drive their dominance at the anime box office. The movie's promotional efforts launched at the Anime Expo in LA in summer with a MAPPA panel, unique experiences, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a significant involvement at NYCC showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, lotteries for fans, and additional MAPPA panels. Additionally, there was an exclusive fan screening for the public and influencers alike after the last day of the gathering.

What’s Next

This year marks a major time for Japanese animation, and for the studio, which has another feature-length anime releasing in the coming months in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in November.