🔗 Share this article

Has Sony done it again? Following the box office performance of the hit anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed more than $600 million globally, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has reached beyond the $100 million mark globally, reaching a international earnings of over $108 million in its opening frame. This movie outperformed Black Phone 2 ($12.9M) in its sophomore frame in theaters, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Strong U.S. and International Earnings

The work of Tatsuya Yoshihara, the feature is a direct continuation of the debut season of the Chainsaw Man series. It brought in over $18 million in North America after a powerful $5.2 million Saturday and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday performance. Overseas, the produced by MAPPA film earned $14.7 million across 46 Sony markets, bringing its global earnings to over $60 million through Sony distribution (over $43 million international, $18.2 million domestic). Official totals are still pending from Sony its complete box office tally.

Parallels to Other Anime Hits

Promotional firm a leading anime marketing group noted in prior discussions, comparing the film’s projected performance to the anime hit Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which made $34M in the North America in the year 2022 and debuted with a nearly identical eighteen million dollars domestically. Reze Arc’s opening frame is in line with that benchmark, while its $108M global gross presently stands slightly below Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s $166.6 million total earnings. Although it’s unlikely this Chainsaw Man film will earn the earnings seen by mega hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a major victory for the distributor.

Marketing Campaigns Fuel Box Office Dominance

Sony and its subsidiary Crunchyroll have skillfully used community involvement to boost their dominance at the animated movie market. The Reze Arc advertising push kicked off at the Los Angeles Anime Expo in July with a MAPPA presentation, unique experiences, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a significant involvement at the New York Comic Con showcasing never-before-seen content, lotteries for fans, and further MAPPA discussions. Additionally, there was an exclusive fan screening for the public and content creators as well after the concluding day of the gathering.

Looking Ahead

2025 is a big year for Japanese animation, and for Sony, which has one more animated movie debuting this year in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.