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Has Sony achieved another hit? Following the box office performance of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed over $600 million at the box office, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has reached beyond the $100M threshold internationally, hitting a worldwide gross of $108 million in its opening frame. The film beat out Black Phone 2 ($12.9M) in its second weekend in movie houses, as well as the music documentary Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere featuring the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9M).

Impressive American and International Performance

The work of director Tatsuya Yoshihara, the film is a straightforward follow-up of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in $18.2M in the U.S. after a powerful $5.2 million Saturday box office and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday performance. Globally, the animated by MAPPA feature added $14.7 million across 46 international territories, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4M under Sony ($43.1M abroad, $18.2M stateside). Sony has yet to announce its official box office total.

Benchmarks to Other Blockbuster Anime Movies

Specialist agency an industry expert had earlier commented, comparing the film’s projected performance to the anime hit Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which grossed thirty-four million dollars in the North America in 2022 and debuted with a comparable eighteen million dollars stateside. This movie's first weekend matches that benchmark, while its $108 million worldwide total presently stands a bit short of Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s $166.6M final run. Although it’s unlikely Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will earn the box office of mega hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it remains a major victory for the distributor.

Fan Engagement Efforts Fuel Performance

Sony and its subsidiary the anime streaming service Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged audience interaction to propel their supremacy at the cinema for anime films. The Reze Arc promotional efforts kicked off at the Anime Expo in LA in summer with a discussion featuring MAPPA, unique experiences, and photo opportunities with Pochita, then continued with a notable appearance at the New York Comic Con showcasing exclusive clips, fan raffles, and further MAPPA discussions. Additionally, there was an special preview for fans for general audiences and popular figures too after the last day of the event.

Looking Ahead

2025 is a significant period for Japanese animation, and for the studio, which has another anime film releasing this year in the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in the month of November.