Another win for anime.
“Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc,” the latest offering from Sony’s Crunchyroll, was No. 1 at the box office with $17.2 million from 3,003 North American theaters. It’s the second consecutive success for Crunchyroll following September’s sleeper hit “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” which cemented a genre record with its $70 million debut.
To a lesser degree, “Chainsaw Man” also eclipsed expectations while managing to outpace a movie about one of the biggest names in music (Disney and 20th Century’s musical biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere“), an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel (Paramount’s romantic drama “Regretting You”), as well as last weekend’s champion (Universal and Blumhouse’s “Black Phone 2”).
“Regretting You” opened in third place with a better-than-expected $12.8 million from 3,393 venues. Meanwhile “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” starring “The Bear” actor Jeremy Allen White as the Boss, underwhelmed at No. 4 with $9.1 million from 3,460 locations. And “Black Phone 2” slid to second with $13 million from 3,460 theaters, declining 52% from its domestic debut. So far the horror sequel has earned $48 million in North America and $80.4 million globally, marking a needed win for Blumhouse in what’s otherwise been a rough theatrical year for the low-budget horror empire.
“Chainsaw Man,” which serves as a sequel to the popular manga TV series, is playing in subtitled and dubbed versions. It’s also showing on premium large formats such as Imax, which carry higher ticket prices. Audiences bestowed the film an “A” on CinemaScore exit polls, the highest grade in the top five on box office charts. Nearly 75% of opening weekend crowds were males while 50% were under the age of 25 years old. Anime features tend to be front-loaded with substantial drops in subsequent weekends. Even if that happens, “Chainsaw Man” has already connected at the international box office with $70 million and counting.
“This opening follows big success in Asia. But it’s not just Asia. Anime is doing well everywhere now,” David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, says of “Chainsaw Man.” “This is a worldwide phenomenon.”
Overall this weekend is down 20% from the same frame in 2024 when Sony’s comic book threequel “Venom: The Last Dance” opened to $51 million. And while domestic year-to-date revenues are 4% above last year, the box office is pacing around 20% below pre-pandemic times, according to Comscore.
“Springsteen” launched below projections at the international box office with $7 million, bringing its global tally to $16.1 million. The biopic cost $55 million, and since theater owners get to keep roughly half of the ticket sales, the film needs to keep rocking at the box office to justify its price tag. Luckily, moviegoers appeared to like the film more than critics; “Deliver Me From Nowhere” landed a “B+” grade on CinemaScore and holds a 61% Rotten Tomatoes average.
“Deliver Me From Nowhere” takes a less conventional approach compared to other recent musical biopics about artists like Bob Dylan (“A Complete Unknown”) or Bob Marley (“One Love”). Instead of focusing on his mainstream rise or the making of his biggest hits like “Born in the U.S.A.” or “Born to Run,” director Scott Cooper’s film chronicles the writing of Springsteen’s 1982 critically adored (but less commercial) acoustic album “Nebraska.” Ticket sales were initially tracking a similar start to last year’s “A Complete Unknown,” featuring Timothée Chalamet as the “Like a Rolling Stone” composer in his earlier years. But that film, from Disney’s Searchlight banner, ended up faring better with $11.6 million to start. “A Complete Unknown” also had the benefit of playing over the holiday season and eventually powered to $75 million domestically and $140 million globally.
“As a genre, these pictures have the natural advantage of great music,” Gross says. However, he caveats that “Bruce Springsteen was not a controversial figure; his music was not part of a social movement; and he did not hurt himself with self-destructive behavior.” Unlike commercial hits in the vein of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” or Elton John’s “Rocketman,” this film is a “smaller story […] about the artist’s struggle for his unique voice.”
“Regretting You,” produced by Constantin Films, earned another $10 million overseas for a worldwide start of $22.85 million. Audiences were mixed on the movie, which earned a “B” grade on CinemaScore and stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace as a mother and daughter who grapple with the aftermath of a devastating accident. “Regretting You” cost $30 million and marks Hoover’s second novel to get the big screen treatment following “It Ends With Us,” which became a breakout hit with $344 million worldwide. If “Regretting You” sticks around on the big screen, it’ll cement Hoover as a major cinematic force. Her books “Verity” and “Reminders of Him” are currently being adapted by other studios.
Disney’s sci-fi tentpole “Tron: Ares” rounded out the top five with $4.7 million from 2,940 venues in its third outing. The film, which carries a massive $180 million price tag, has grossed just $63 million domestically and $123 million worldwide to date.
Also new to theaters was Neon’s supernatural thriller “Shelby Oaks,” which bowed at No. 7 with $2.3 million from 1,823 locations. The film, which follows the fictional disappearance of YouTube star and amateur ghost hunter in the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. The movie was saddled with a “C+” grade on CinemaScore, which is typical for the horror genre but doesn’t necessarily bode well for word-of-mouth.
In limited release, director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone’s latest collaboration “Bugonia” kicked off with $690,000 from 17 locations — averaging a strong $40,588 per location. Stone plays a high-powered CEO who is kidnapped by two conspiracy theorists who believe she is an extraterrestrial being sent to destroy Earth. The film’s commercial viability will be tested when Focus Features expands “Bugonia” nationwide next weekend.
More to come…
