Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime import, Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc, is poised to dominate the domestic weekend box office, slashing its way to a debut well above initial projections. The film is estimated to earn over $14 million in its opening frame, while a fierce battle for second place is brewing between three other contenders.
目次
- 1 Surpassing Projections with Raves from Critics and Audiences
- 2 MAPPA Production Continuing its Global Hit Streak
- 3 ‘The Black Phone 2’ in Tight Three-Way Race for Second Place
- 4 World Series Impact Likely Limited
- 5 ‘Springsteen’ Biopic Makes Solid Start
- 6 ‘Regretting You’ Banks on Female Audiences
- 7 ‘Shelby Oaks’ Also Debuts
Surpassing Projections with Raves from Critics and Audiences
Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc launched in 3,003 theaters and is tracking for a Friday haul between $8 million and $9 million. This puts the film on pace for a weekend opening of $14 million to $15 million, potentially even higher.
These figures significantly outpace original industry tracking, which had pegged the film for an $11 million to $12 million debut. The film already showed strong momentum with $3.4 million in Thursday previews.
Reception has been exceptionally strong. The film holds a rare 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 99% audience score. PostTrak exit polls recorded a perfect five-star rating, indicating overwhelming support. Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara from a screenplay by Hiroshi Seko, based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, a review from The Hollywood Reporter notes that “fans of the manga and anime series will not be disappointed.”
MAPPA Production Continuing its Global Hit Streak
The R-rated feature, produced by MAPPA (the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen), is based on the popular anime television series streaming on Disney+ and Crunchyroll.
Since its release in Japan last month, Chainsaw Man has already grossed over $64 million worldwide, with its momentum now clearly extending to the North American market. Sony and Crunchyroll are handling distribution in the U.S. and select international territories.
‘The Black Phone 2’ in Tight Three-Way Race for Second Place
Before the weekend, Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc was expected to be in a close race for the top spot with Blumhouse and Universal’s returning hit, The Black Phone 2.
However, with the anime film pulling far ahead, The Black Phone 2 now finds itself in a heated contest for second place against two new wide releases: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and the Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You. As of Friday morning projections, all three films are landing in a similar range, with estimates between $9 million and $12 million for the weekend, making the runner-up spot too close to call.
World Series Impact Likely Limited
The first two games of the World Series, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, are scheduled for this weekend. It remains to be seen how this will affect the box office. Generally, the baseball championship is not considered as significant a competitor as major NFL games. However, Los Angeles is one of the largest film markets, alongside New York, and is also a top market for anime. Both the Friday and Saturday games are being held in Toronto.
‘Springsteen’ Biopic Makes Solid Start
The Bruce Springsteen biographical drama, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, earned $850,000 in Thursday previews. This is a solid figure, in line with expectations for a drama skewed toward an older adult audience.
While its Rotten Tomatoes critic score is mixed at 66%, its audience score is a strong 83%. The film, starring Jeremy Allen White, is screening in 3,460 theaters, with 250 IMAX and 750 Premium Large Format (PLF) screens expected to boost its grosses.
‘Regretting You’ Banks on Female Audiences
Paramount’s Regretting You opted out of traditional Thursday previews, instead holding a special fan event in New York that was simulcast to 500 theaters. This is the second feature film adapted from a Colleen Hoover novel.
Opening in 3,593 locations, the film is expected to tap into the female demographic, which has been underserved by recent market offerings. However, reviews have been generally unfavorable, making strong audience word-of-mouth essential for its success.
‘Shelby Oaks’ Also Debuts
In the specialty market, Neon is releasing Shelby Oaks in 1,823 theaters. The film marks the feature debut of YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann and is projected to open between $2 million and $2.5 million. Shelby Oaks is also known for being the highest-funded horror film in Kickstarter history, raising $1.4 million.