The Reze Arc Movie Dominates the U.S. Cinema Earnings in Opening Weekend
Can Sony claim to have done it again? Following the success of the blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed more than $600 million at the box office, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the $100M mark worldwide, reaching a international earnings of $108M during its debut. This movie beat out Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second weekend in cinemas, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White ($9M).
Impressive American and Worldwide Earnings
Directed by filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the feature is a straightforward follow-up of the initial season of Chainsaw Man. It brought in $18.2M in the U.S. after a powerful $5.2 million Saturday box office and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday. Internationally, the animated by MAPPA feature earned $14.7M across 46 Sony markets, bringing its global earnings to $60.4M under Sony (over $43 million abroad, $18.2 million domestic). Sony has yet to announce its final earnings figure.
Parallels to Other Blockbuster Anime Movies
Specialist agency an industry expert noted in prior discussions, drawing parallels between the movie's expected results to the popular film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which grossed $34 million in the U.S. and Canada in the year 2022 and opened to a comparable $18 million domestically. Reze Arc’s debut weekend aligns with that marker, while its $108M global gross currently tracks slightly below the earlier film's $166.6M final run. While it is improbable the Reze Arc movie will match the numbers of smash success the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a huge win for the distributor.
Fan Engagement Efforts Fuel Success
The studio and its partner Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged fan engagement to boost their dominance at the anime box office. The Reze Arc promotional efforts began at Anime Expo Los Angeles in July with a discussion featuring MAPPA, exclusive activations, and Pochita photo ops, and later included a major presence at NYCC showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, fan raffles, and further MAPPA discussions. Moreover, organizers held an private showing for enthusiasts for moviegoers and popular figures too after the last day of the gathering.
Looking Ahead
This year marks a big year for animated films, and for the studio, which has another feature-length anime premiering in 2025 in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in November.
