Tatsuki Fujimoto's hit manga "Chainsaw Man" finally unleashed its first-ever anime film, "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc," in Japan last Friday, September 19. The movie's already racking up rave reviews and has become the talk of the town!
And guess what? The latest Japanese weekend box office rankings, released today (September 22), show "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc" absolutely crushing it! It swooped in to claim the top spot, knocking "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training Arc" off its nine-week reign at number one. Talk about a power move!
"Chainsaw Man Reze Arc" opened in 421 theaters across Japan, pulling in a massive 272,000 moviegoers on its first day alone, raking in over 420 million yen. By the end of its opening three-day weekend, the film had already amassed a staggering 1.24 billion yen! Distributor Toho is clearly hyped, projecting the movie could hit a whopping 5 billion yen if this momentum keeps up.
Meanwhile, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training Arc" has been out for over two months, drawing in a colossal 23.62 million viewers and grossing an incredible 34 billion yen. Even on the same weekend, it still managed to pull in 390,000 people and earn 645 million yen. With recent bonus perks like the "Movie Pamphlet Sub-Reader ~Decisive Battle Arc~," its popularity is clearly still off the charts!
After the "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc" hit theaters, creator Tatsuki Fujimoto himself dropped his thoughts on the film. He confessed that after watching it, Reze was all he could think about, keeping him up all night! "It was seriously amazing!" he gushed. He also noted that Beam's efforts in the movie felt "about twice as much as in the manga." Fujimoto joked, "If I'd known it would be like this, I should've treated him more carefully in the manga!"
He extended a huge thank you to everyone involved in making the film, and to all the fans who went to see it in theaters, expressing his deep gratitude. He even included a brand-new illustration of Reze!
Currently, "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc" is enjoying fantastic word-of-mouth in Japan. While it might not be sparking the same "pilgrimage-level" phenomenon as "Demon Slayer," it's clear many fans have been eagerly awaiting this movie. Get ready, because the film is also set to hit theaters in Taiwan on September 24, 2025! Time to get hyped and catch it on the big screen!