Another victory for the anime.
“Chainsaw Man,” the latest film from Sony’s Crunchyroll, ranked number one at the box office with $17.2 million from 3,003 North American theaters. It’s the second consecutive success for Crunchyroll following September hit “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” which solidified a genre record with its $70 million debut.
To a lesser extent, “Chainsaw Man” also eclipsed expectations while managing to edge out a film about one of the biggest names in music (Disney and the 20th century musical biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”), an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling romance novel (Paramount’s romantic drama “Regretting You”), as well as the champion of last weekend (Universal “Black Phone 2”).
“Regretting You” opened in third place with a better-than-expected $12.8 million from 3,393 theaters. Meanwhile, “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” starring “The Bear” actor Jeremy Allen White as the Boss, disappointed at No. 4 with $9.1 million from 3,460 locations. “Black Phone 2” slipped to second place with $13 million from 3,460 theaters, down 52% from its domestic debut. So far, the horror sequel has grossed $48 million in North America and more than $60 million worldwide.
“Chainsaw Man,” which serves as a sequel to the popular manga television series, is released in both subtitled and dubbed versions. It is also broadcast on major premium formats such as Imax, which offer more expensive tickets. Audiences gave the film an “A” in CinemaScore exit polls, the highest rating among the top five.
“This opening follows great 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.” “It’s a global phenomenon.”
Overall, this weekend is down 20% from the same frame in 2024, when “Venom 3” opened to $51 million. And even though year-to-date domestic revenue is 4% higher than last year, the box office is about 20% lower than before the pandemic, according to Comscore.
“Springsteen” debuted below expectations at the international box office with $7 million, bringing its worldwide total to $16.1 million. The biopic cost $55 million, and since theater owners keep about half of the ticket sales, the film must continue to make a splash at the box office to justify its price tag. Fortunately, moviegoers seemed to enjoy the film more than critics; “Deliver Me From Nowhere” earned a “B+” rating 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 the making of Springsteen’s biggest hits like “Born in the USA” or “Born to Run,” director Scott Cooper’s film chronicles the writing of Springsteen’s critically beloved but less commercial album “Nebraska” in 1982. Last year’s “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet as the composer of ” Like a Rolling Stone” in its early years fared better with $11.6 million to boot. That film, from Disney’s Searchlight banner, had the benefit of being released during the holiday season and ultimately grossed $75 million domestically and $140 million worldwide.
“Regretting You” grossed an additional $10 million overseas for a worldwide debut of $22.85 million. Audiences were mixed on the film, which earned a “B” grade on CinemaScore and stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace as a mother and daughter dealing with the aftermath of a devastating accident. “Regretting You” cost $30 million and is the second Hoover novel to get the big screen treatment after “It Ends With Us,” which became a smash hit grossing $344 million worldwide. If “Regretting You” stays on the big screen, it will cement Hoover as a major cinematic force. His books “Verity” and “Reminders of Him” are currently being adapted by other studios.
Disney sci-fi tentpole “Tron: Ares” rounded out the top five with $4.7 million from 2,940 theaters in its third release. The film, which cost $180 million, has only grossed $63 million domestically and $123 million worldwide to date.
Also new to theaters: Neon’s supernatural thriller “Shelby Oaks,” which ranked No. 7 with $2.3 million from 1,823 locations. The film, which follows the fictional disappearance of the YouTube star and amateur ghost hunter in the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks. The film received a “C+” grade on CinemaScore, which is typical of the horror genre but doesn’t necessarily bode well for word-of-mouth.
More to come…
