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Did Sony done it again? In the wake of the success of 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 $100 million threshold worldwide, reaching a worldwide gross of $108 million this weekend. The film surpassed the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9M) in its second weekend in cinemas, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Impressive Domestic and International Results

Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of the initial season of Chainsaw Man. It grossed over $18 million domestically after a powerful $5.2M Saturday box office and $4.5M Sunday. Overseas, the produced by MAPPA movie earned $14.7M across 46 international territories, resulting in a global sum of $60.4M via Sony (over $43 million abroad, $18.2 million in the U.S.). Official totals are still pending from Sony its final earnings figure.

Comparisons to Previous Anime Hits

Anime marketing agency a leading anime marketing group had earlier commented, comparing the feature's anticipated earnings to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which made $34M in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 and debuted with a comparable $18 million in the U.S.. The new film's first weekend aligns with that standard, while its hundred-and-eight-million-dollar international sum is now positioned a bit short of that movie's $166.6 million final run. Although it’s unlikely this Chainsaw Man film will achieve the numbers of blockbuster the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a major victory for Sony.

Marketing Efforts Fuel Performance

The studio and its partner Crunchyroll have successfully utilized community involvement to drive their dominance at the anime box office. This film's advertising push began at the Anime Expo in LA in summer with a MAPPA panel, unique experiences, and Pochita photo ops, followed by a major presence at the New York Comic Con including never-before-seen content, fan raffles, and further MAPPA discussions. Additionally, there was an exclusive fan screening for moviegoers and popular figures too after the last day of the convention.

Looking Ahead

2025 stands as a major time for Japanese animation, and for Sony, which has one more animated movie premiering in the coming months in the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.