Chainsaw Man Leads American Cinema Earnings in First Weekend

Did Sony repeated their success? Following the box office performance of the blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed over $600 million at the box office, the new movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has reached beyond the $100M mark globally, attaining a global total of over $108 million during its debut. This movie surpassed the horror sequel Black Phone 2 ($12.9M) in its second week in cinemas, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9M).

Notable U.S. and International Earnings

Helmed by filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a direct continuation of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in over $18 million domestically after a strong $5.2 million Saturday earnings and $4.5M Sunday performance. Overseas, the MAPPA-produced film grossed $14.7 million across 46 Sony markets, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4M under Sony ($43.1 million abroad, $18.2 million domestic). The studio has not yet revealed its complete box office tally.

Comparisons to Previous Successful Anime Films

Specialist agency a leading anime marketing group previously spoke, drawing parallels between the film’s projected performance to the popular film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $34 million in the North America in the year 2022 and debuted with a similar eighteen million dollars in the U.S.. This movie's debut weekend matches that marker, while its $108M global gross currently tracks just behind the earlier film's $166.6 million overall box office. Even if it doesn't seem possible this Chainsaw Man film will match the numbers of smash success the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a huge win for Sony.

Fan Engagement Strategies Fuel Box Office Dominance

Sony and its subsidiary Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged fan engagement to propel their supremacy at the cinema for anime films. The Reze Arc advertising push launched at Anime Expo Los Angeles in summer with a discussion featuring MAPPA, exclusive activations, and Pochita-themed pictures, then continued with a significant involvement at New York Comic Con featuring never-before-seen content, fan raffles, and additional MAPPA panels. There was even an private showing for enthusiasts for the public and content creators as well after the last day of the convention.

What’s Next

2025 stands as a major time for animated films, and for Sony, which has another anime film releasing in the coming months in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in late this year.