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Can Sony claim to have achieved another hit? In the wake of the triumph of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which grossed more than $600 million at the box office, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has surpassed the $100M mark globally, attaining a international earnings of over $108 million during its debut. The film surpassed Black Phone 2 ($12.9 million) in its sophomore frame in theaters, as well as Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere with the talented Jeremy Allen White ($9 million).

Impressive U.S. and Global Earnings

The work of director Tatsuya Yoshihara, the movie is a immediate sequel of Chainsaw Man’s first season. It brought in over $18 million in North America after a robust $5.2 million Saturday earnings and four-point-five-million-dollar Sunday performance. Internationally, the MAPPA-produced feature earned $14.7M across 46 Sony markets, pushing its worldwide total to $60.4 million through Sony distribution ($43.1M international, $18.2M in the U.S.). Official totals are still pending from Sony its complete box office tally.

Benchmarks to Past Blockbuster Anime Movies

Specialist agency a leading anime marketing group previously spoke, contrasting the feature's anticipated earnings to the popular film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $34 million in the North America in 2022 and started with a similar $18M stateside. Reze Arc’s debut weekend aligns with that standard, while its $108M international sum is now positioned slightly below Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s $166.6M total earnings. Although it’s unlikely the Reze Arc movie will earn the box office of blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this is still a huge win for Sony.

Marketing Campaigns Boost Success

Sony and its subsidiary Crunchyroll have effectively leveraged fan engagement to boost their dominance at the cinema for anime films. The movie's marketing campaign began at the Los Angeles Anime Expo in July with a discussion featuring MAPPA, unique experiences, and Pochita photo ops, and later included a notable appearance at the New York Comic Con showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, fan raffles, and more MAPPA sessions. There was even an special preview for fans for general audiences and influencers alike after the last day of the convention.

What’s Next

This year marks a major time for anime, and for Sony, which has one more anime film releasing in the coming months in Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution in November.