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Has Sony achieved another hit? Coming after the triumph of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which brought in more than $600 million globally, the latest Chainsaw Man film has reached beyond the $100 million milestone worldwide, reaching a international earnings of $108 million during its debut. The film outperformed the thriller Black Phone 2 (almost $13 million) in its second weekend in movie houses, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with actor Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Impressive Domestic and Global Results

Helmed by director Tatsuya Yoshihara, the feature is a straightforward follow-up of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in over $18 million domestically after a robust $5.2M Saturday and $4.5M Sunday performance. Overseas, the produced by MAPPA movie added $14.7M across 46 Sony markets, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4M through Sony distribution ($43.1M overseas, $18.2 million stateside). Sony has yet to announce its complete box office tally.

Benchmarks to Past Successful Anime Films

Anime marketing agency White Box Entertainment had earlier commented, contrasting the feature's anticipated earnings to the popular film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which grossed $34M in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 and debuted with a nearly identical $18M stateside. The new film's debut weekend matches that benchmark, while its $108M global gross presently stands a bit short of Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s $166.6M overall box office. Although it’s unlikely Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will achieve the box office of smash success Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a major victory for the studio.

Fan Engagement Efforts Fuel Success

Along with its affiliate Crunchyroll have skillfully used fan engagement to propel their dominance at the cinema for anime films. The Reze Arc marketing campaign kicked off at the Anime Expo in LA in summer with a MAPPA presentation, unique experiences, and photo opportunities with Pochita, then continued with a major presence at the New York Comic Con featuring behind-the-scenes footage, lotteries for fans, and further MAPPA discussions. Additionally, there was an exclusive fan screening for general audiences and influencers alike after the last day of the event.

What’s Next

This year marks a big year for Japanese animation, and for the studio, which has an additional feature-length anime debuting in the coming months in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.