Chainsaw Man Tops the U.S. Cinema Earnings in Debut Weekend

Can Sony claim to have repeated their success? Following the triumph of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which brought in in excess of $600 million at the box office, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the hundred-million-dollar milestone internationally, attaining a global total of over $108 million in its opening frame. This movie beat out the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second week in theaters, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Strong American and Worldwide Performance

The work of director Tatsuya Yoshihara, the feature is a direct continuation of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in $18.2 million in the U.S. after a robust five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday box office and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday performance. Globally, the produced by MAPPA feature earned $14.7M across 46 global regions, resulting in a global sum of over $60 million through Sony distribution (over $43 million international, $18.2 million stateside). Sony has yet to announce its final earnings figure.

Benchmarks to Previous Blockbuster Anime Movies

Specialist agency White Box Entertainment noted in prior discussions, drawing parallels between the movie's expected results to the anime hit Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which made $34 million in the domestic market in 2022 and debuted with a nearly identical $18M domestically. This movie's opening frame is in line with that standard, while its $108M global gross is now positioned just behind the earlier film's over $166 million total earnings. While it is improbable this Chainsaw Man film will match the box office of mega hit the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a significant success for the distributor.

Marketing Campaigns Drive Success

The studio and its partner the anime streaming service Crunchyroll have skillfully used audience interaction to drive their dominance at the anime box office. This film's promotional efforts kicked off at Anime Expo Los Angeles in the month of July with a MAPPA panel, exclusive activations, and Pochita-themed pictures, then continued with a major presence at the New York Comic Con including behind-the-scenes footage, lotteries for fans, and more MAPPA sessions. There was even an exclusive fan screening for moviegoers and popular figures too after the final day of the gathering.

What’s Next

2025 stands as a big year for anime, and for Sony, which has one more feature-length anime debuting this year in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in November.