Chainsaw Man Film Dominates Japanese Box Office on Debut Weekend

Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc Conquers Japanese Box Office

The highly anticipated film Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has made a stunning debut at the Japanese box office. Based on the Reze Arc of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s popular manga Chainsaw Man, the movie sold an impressive 807,000 tickets, amassing 1.251 billion yen (approximately US$8.45 million) in its opening weekend. This remarkable achievement has dethroned the previously dominant Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – Akaza Sairai film, which had held the top spot for nine consecutive weeks.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had initially sold 390,000 tickets, earning 645 million yen (around US$4.36 million), but it now ranks second in the box office for this weekend. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc also had a phenomenal opening day, selling over 272,000 tickets and generating over 420 million yen (about US$2.8 million) on its first day in Japan.

The film opened in 421 theaters across Japan on Friday, with midnight screenings in 12 theaters located in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido. Additionally, the movie offers an immersive experience with MX4D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema screenings. The distributor, TOHO, anticipates that the film could potentially earn 5 billion yen (approximately US$34 million) throughout its theatrical run.

Internationally, Sony Pictures Entertainment has secured worldwide theatrical rights for the film. It will premiere in the United States on October 24, a few days earlier than its originally scheduled October 29 release. The movie will also hit theaters in the United Kingdom on October 29 and will be screened in over 80 countries starting September 24.

Reina Ueda takes on the role of Reze in the film. The story revolves around Denji, who has become the “Chainsaw Man,” a boy with a devil’s heart, and is now part of Special Division 4’s devil hunters. After a date with Makima, Denji seeks shelter from the rain and encounters Reze, a café worker.

The film features an impressive soundtrack with performances by Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada. Yonezu will perform both the ending theme song “JANE DOE” and the film’s theme song “IRIS OUT.” Additionally, Maximum The Hormone’s “Hawatari Nioku Centi” will appear as an insert song, with a special 70% unredacted edit version of the track.

The original television anime series premiered on TV Tokyo and five other affiliated channels, as well as on Amazon Prime Video, in October 2022. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Tatsuki Fujimoto, known for his work on Fire Punch, debuted Chainsaw Man in Weekly Shonen Jump in December 2018. The manga concluded its first part, the “Kōan” (Public Safety) arc, in December 2020. The second part, titled “Gakkō-hen” (School Arc), began serialization on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ service in July 2022. The manga has surpassed 30 million copies in circulation and has won the Best Manga award at The Harvey Awards for three consecutive years.

News Source: Animenewsnetwork.com