The first theatrical anime film for Chiikawa, "Chiikawa: Secret of Mermaid Island," hit the big screen on July 24, 2026, and its box office performance has been nothing short of spectacular.
After just 30 days in theaters, marking its one-month anniversary, the official team announced that the cumulative box office has officially soared past the 10 billion JPY mark, thanking fans and celebrating the milestone. Compared to other recent theatrical films hitting the 10 billion JPY milestone, this is an incredibly impressive pace, and the box office momentum is still going strong.
The official team also released a celebratory image, thanking all the fans who came to watch the movie and expressing hope that everyone found joy in the film this summer.
So, just how fast is "Chiikawa: Secret of Mermaid Island" hitting 10 billion JPY in 30 days? Let's look at how long it took other recent Japanese animated films to reach the 10 billion JPY box office mark:
"Detective Conan: The One-Eyed Afterimage" (2025): 19 days, 10.4 billion JPY
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Part 1: Akaza Returns" (2025): 8 days, 10 billion JPY
"Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc" (2025): 103 days, 10.01 billion JPY
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK (2022): 67 days, 10.021 billion JPY
ONE PIECE FILM RED (2022): 20 days, 10 billion JPY
JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 (2021): 45 days, 10.456 billion JPY
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021): 127 days, 10.015 billion JPY
In other words, while "Chiikawa: Secret of Mermaid Island" took 30 days to break 10 billion JPY, not quite matching the blistering pace of titans like "Demon Slayer" or "Detective Conan," it's still an absolutely stellar achievement for its very first feature film.
With this kind of momentum and buzz, coupled with the official team continuously releasing special perks to keep fans coming back, it'll be exciting to see if "Chiikawa: Secret of Mermaid Island" can become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Note: Financial figures and earnings forecasts should be confirmed through the company’s official announcements.