The Chainsaw Man Film Leads American Cinema Earnings in Opening Weekend
Can Sony claim to have done it again? Following the box office performance of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which earned in excess of $600 million worldwide, the latest Chainsaw Man film has surpassed the $100M milestone globally, hitting a international earnings of $108M this weekend. The film outperformed Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its second weekend in cinemas, as well as the music documentary Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring Jeremy Allen White (nine million dollars).
Strong U.S. and Global Earnings
Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of the debut season of the Chainsaw Man series. It brought in $18.2M in North America after a powerful $5.2 million Saturday earnings and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday. Overseas, the animated by MAPPA film added $14.7 million across 46 international territories, bringing its global earnings to $60.4M under Sony ($43.1 million international, $18.2 million domestic). Sony has yet to announce its complete box office tally.
Benchmarks to Past Successful Anime Films
Specialist agency a leading anime marketing group noted in prior discussions, contrasting the film’s projected performance to Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned thirty-four million dollars in the domestic market in 2022 and started with a comparable $18 million in the U.S.. This movie's debut weekend matches that standard, while its $108M international sum presently stands a bit short of the earlier film's over $166 million final run. While it is improbable this Chainsaw Man film will achieve the earnings seen by blockbuster the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a significant success for the distributor.
Fan Engagement Efforts Boost Success
Along with its affiliate the anime streaming service Crunchyroll have skillfully used audience interaction to boost their dominance at the anime box office. This film's advertising push began at Anime Expo Los Angeles in summer with a MAPPA presentation, special events, and Pochita photo ops, then continued with a notable appearance at NYCC including exclusive clips, lotteries for fans, and more MAPPA sessions. Moreover, organizers held an special preview for fans for general audiences and popular figures too after the last day of the gathering.
Looking Ahead
2025 stands as a big year for animated films, and for the company, which has one more anime film releasing in 2025 in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.
