An anime film about a demon-hunting hero claimed the top spot at the North American box office this past weekend, continuing a strong run for Japanese animation in theaters, NBC News reported.
“Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” earned $17.25 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, beating out several competitors including a Bruce Springsteen biopic and a horror sequel, the report said.
The horror film “Black Phone 2″ dropped to second place with $13 million in its second weekend. New releases “Regretting You,” a romantic comedy, and “Springsteen — Deliver Me from Nowhere” debuted with $12.85 million and $9.1 million respectively, while “Tron: Ares” completed the top five with $4.9 million.”
According to NBC News, this success follows another recent anime accomplishment. Less than two months ago, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle” set a new record for anime releases with a $70 million debut.
“Chainsaw Man” is based on a popular manga series created by Tatsuki Fujimoto about a demon hunter whose arms and head transform into chainsaws. The self-contained story, described as part love story and part action adventure, was previously adapted as an anime series in 2022, the report said.
The film is another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also distributed “Infinity Castle” last month. While performing well domestically, “Chainsaw Man” has earned an estimated $108 million globally so far, the report said.
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