The Chainsaw Man Film Tops American Cinema Earnings in First Weekend
Did Sony repeated their success? Following the success of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed in excess of $600 million worldwide, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has officially crossed the hundred-million-dollar threshold globally, hitting a international earnings of $108 million in its opening frame. This movie outperformed the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its sophomore frame in movie houses, as well as the film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring actor Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Notable U.S. and International Earnings
The work of filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of the debut season of the Chainsaw Man series. It brought in $18.2 million in North America after a powerful five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday and $4.5 million Sunday take. Overseas, the animated by MAPPA feature earned $14.7M across 46 Sony markets, resulting in a global sum of $60.4M via Sony ($43.1M overseas, $18.2M stateside). Official totals are still pending from Sony its final earnings figure.
Parallels to Previous Blockbuster Anime Movies
Promotional firm White Box Entertainment had earlier commented, contrasting the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which grossed $34 million in the North America in 2022 and opened to a nearly identical eighteen million dollars in the U.S.. The new film's debut weekend matches that marker, while its $108M international sum presently stands just behind that movie's $166.6M final run. Although it’s unlikely Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will match the box office of blockbuster the enormous hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, nonetheless, it is a major victory for Sony.
Promotional Efforts Boost Performance
The studio and its partner Crunchyroll have successfully utilized fan engagement to boost their dominance at the anime box office. The movie's advertising push kicked off at the Los Angeles Anime Expo in summer with a discussion featuring MAPPA, exclusive activations, and Pochita-themed pictures, followed by a major presence at NYCC including behind-the-scenes footage, fan raffles, and more MAPPA sessions. Moreover, organizers held an exclusive fan screening for the public and content creators as well after the concluding day of the event.
What’s Next
2025 stands as a major time for Japanese animation, and for Sony, which has an additional anime film debuting this year in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in November.