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Has Sony achieved another hit? Following the box office performance of the blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed in excess of $600 million globally, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has reached beyond the hundred-million-dollar mark internationally, hitting a worldwide gross of $108M this weekend. The film outperformed the thriller Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its sophomore frame in movie houses, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with actor Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Impressive American and Worldwide Performance

The work of filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of the initial season of Chainsaw Man. It brought in over $18 million in the U.S. after a strong five-point-two-million-dollar Saturday box office and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday take. Internationally, the animated by MAPPA movie earned $14.7M across 46 global regions, bringing its global earnings to $60.4 million via Sony ($43.1M international, $18.2 million stateside). The studio has not yet revealed its complete box office tally.

Parallels to Previous Successful Anime Films

Promotional firm an industry expert previously spoke, contrasting the feature's anticipated earnings to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which made $34M in the U.S. and Canada in 2022 and debuted with a similar eighteen million dollars domestically. The new film's debut weekend matches that benchmark, while its $108M worldwide total currently tracks just behind the earlier film's over $166 million total earnings. While it is improbable Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will match the box office of smash success the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a huge win for Sony.

Marketing Efforts Boost Success

Sony and its subsidiary the anime streaming service Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged fan engagement to drive their dominance at the animated movie market. The movie's promotional efforts launched at the Anime Expo in LA in the month of July with a discussion featuring MAPPA, special events, and Pochita-themed pictures, followed by a major presence at NYCC including never-before-seen content, audience giveaways, and further MAPPA discussions. There was even an private showing for enthusiasts for the public and influencers alike after the last day of the convention.

Future Prospects

This year marks a big year for Japanese animation, and for the company, which has another feature-length anime debuting in 2025 in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.