All eyes are on Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Coming off the heels of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s massive financial success, industry executives expect the ultra-violent horror anime to crush at the U.S. box office. However, just because one anime rakes in over $600 million in theaters doesn’t mean that’s the new normal, especially when the two films have less in common than you might think.
Early signs seem mostly positive. After debuting in 13 countries across Asia on Oct. 12, Reze Arc has already made $50 million at the box office before it even arrives on American shores. However, Infinity Castle earned almost double that, netting $87.0M in its first week in Japanese theaters. According to Miles Atherton, the founder and CEO of anime-focused marketing agency White Box Entertainment, that gap will only widen when Reze Arc makes its U.S. debut on Oct. 24.
“Chainsaw Man is one of the more popular modern franchises in the North American anime fandom, but anyone looking for Demon Slayer numbers from Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is going to be disappointed,” Atherton tells Polygon via email. “At this point during Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle‘s marketing cycle, there was more than twice the level of interest from US-based fans as we’re seeing for Reze Arc now from a half dozen fan engagement metrics we follow.”
Image: Sony
Before Infinity Castle’s release, Demon Slayer was already a huge property with a significant reputation for box office power, thanks to the half-billion-dollar release of Mugen Train in 2020. In comparison, the fledgling Chainsaw Man franchise could be more appropriately compared to another popular anime: JuJutsu Kaisen.
“The franchise’s first film, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, pulled $34M in ticket sales in the US and Canada in 2022,” Atherton says. “That seems like a reasonable goal for Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures this time around, and is higher than any of the projections for Reze Arc I’ve seen.”
Then again, Chainsaw Man does have one advantage going for it, although it’s got plenty of drawbacks as well.
“To be fair, [Jujutsu Kaisen 0] was a prequel and was not seen to be as relevant to the continuing story as Reze Arc will be for Chainsaw Man fans,” Atherton says, “but Chainsaw Man’s audience is more divided on the franchise’s anime adaptations than we see in the JJK fandom (or in most fandoms overall, for that matter).”
Some criticisms of the first season of Chainsaw Man included its decided art direction, slower pace, and cinematic tone, which were said to detract from the chaotic nature of the manga. According to Atherton, Chainsaw Man “is a much more complicated title to promote with a much smaller audience, and it’s one that I imagine is less likely to show up to cinemas.”
Image: ©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
In other words, anyone expecting Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc to be the next Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle simply because both are Sony-distributed anime films should probably temper their expectations. Although it seems like the new trend is to release a movie for every anime IP available (much to the chagrin of Jujutsu Kaisen’s dub voice cast), it’ll take some time for Chainsaw Man to reach the heights of Demon Slayer.
Infinity Castle rewards longtime viewers who are caught up with multiple seasons of storytelling, while Reze Arc offers a more accessible entry point for newcomers and continues its debut season for dedicated fans. That gives Chainsaw Man a more difficult starting point, with fewer fans already bought in and determined to see each new installment (not unlike the way Marvel fans once flocked to see each new superhero movie so they could keep up with its sprawling superhero universe).
However, Reze Arc may also attract a whole new group of fans due to the symbiotic hype surrounding anime films.
“Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures have a large and dedicated built-in audience for anime fans, and seem to have leveled up some of their theatrical marketing tactics from the Infinity Castle experience,” Atherton says. “I think Chainsaw Man will do better than what many analysts give it credit for, simply due to it adapting canon material.”.
Reze Arc is sure to leave newcomers satisfied and craving the next season of the series, alongside dedicated fans who couldn’t care less about box office numbers. Still, Atherton emphasizes that there’s virtually no chance it comes close to replicating the success of Infinity Castle.
“But if Reze Arc gets a third of the box office in North America than the latest Demon Slayer movie, I’ll be surprised.”
