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Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc — a surprise blockbuster
Chainsaw Man: The Movie — Reze Arc has become one of 2025's most talked-about anime releases, exceeding expectations and proving that bold, mature anime can still dominate the box office. Distributor Toho recently published the film's official Japanese results: in just 59 days, the Reze Arc drew more than 5.72 million viewers and grossed over ¥8.77 billion (roughly $55.8 million). That haul pushed the movie past the 2013 war drama The Eternal 0 in Japan's all-time grosses, advancing Chainsaw Man to No. 76 on the domestic list.
Box office numbers and opening momentum
The film opened in 421 screens across Japan and recorded a strong first day, attracting 272,000 viewers and earning over ¥420 million. Toho initially forecasted a final gross near ¥5 billion and described the opening as "a powerful start toward that goal." Instead, the film crossed ¥5 billion in under a month, turning what looked like a solid release into a major commercial success.
Why Reze Arc resonated
Part of the appeal comes from the source material’s mix of visceral action, dark humor, and unexpectedly tender emotional moments. The Reze storyline transforms Chainsaw Man’s frenetic violence into a tragic love arc that escalates into wide-scale peril for Tokyo — a tonal shift that both fans and newcomers found compelling. Director Tatsuya Yoshihara and screenwriter Hiroshi Seko balance spectacle with character-driven stakes, keeping the film grounded even as it stages high-impact set pieces.
The movie also benefits from the ongoing global appetite for adult-oriented anime. Following the success of titles like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train and Jujutsu Kaisen 0, international distributors and audiences are more willing to back theatrical anime that aims beyond family-friendly fare.
Global reach, fan response and industry context
Toho noted that enthusiasm has spread to more than 100 countries and territories, explicitly naming South Korea and the United States among markets showing high interest. Fan communities have praised the film’s animation quality, adaptation choices, and emotional core, while critics lauded its ability to fuse brutal action with melancholic romance.
Behind the scenes, audiences have been curious about adaptation choices—what to condense, which moments to expand—and the production team’s decision-making has become a frequent topic among anime discussion forums. The film’s performance also underscores an ongoing trend: theatrical anime with ambitious production values can still find mainstream box office success when paired with strong marketing and established intellectual property.
"Reze Arc proves that mature anime with risk-taking narratives can succeed at scale," says film critic Anna Kovacs. "Its box office run reflects both loyal fandom and genuinely broad curiosity about the cinematic possibilities of manga adaptations."
A brief comparison and critical note
Compared with earlier Chainsaw Man adaptations and other recent anime films, Reze Arc leans harder into emotional stakes rather than spectacle alone. While it may not reach the astronomical global totals of the biggest anime blockbusters, its rapid climb past industry expectations is a meaningful indicator of the franchise’s cultural momentum.
Whether you come for the action, the tragic romance, or the dazzling animation, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc has become a rare example of an anime film that thrills audiences and sparks wider conversations about the future of adult-oriented animation.
In short: a risky, raw, and surprisingly mainstream hit.
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