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Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc keeps winning at the box office
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc has become one of 2025’s biggest cinematic stories in Japan. According to official franchise posts and box-office trackers, the film surpassed the 10 billion yen domestic milestone after 103 days in release — closing December 30 with 10.01 billion yen in ticket sales (about $63.94 million) and roughly 6.558 million admissions. For an anime movie based on a mature, boundary-pushing manga, those are extraordinary numbers.
How it compares to 2025’s other anime hits
Reze Arc is now the fourth film in Japan this year to join the 10-billion-yen club. It follows heavy hitters such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, the feature film Kokuho, and Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback. While Demon Slayer’s scale and franchise momentum were always going to guarantee huge returns, Chainsaw Man’s achievement is notable because it grew from a darker, more adult-toned property with a passionate — and sometimes polarizing — fanbase.
Box-office longevity and momentum
The movie held the number-one spot for seven straight weeks and continued to show stamina: even more than three months after release it was still charting in the top ten (it ranked eighth during the Dec 26–28 weekend). For 15 consecutive weeks it remained among Japan’s weekly top ten grossers. Bunka Tsūshinsha now ranks Reze Arc as the 51st highest-grossing film in Japanese box-office history — a remarkable placement for a franchise that began as a serialized, adult manga.
Why audiences kept returning
Several factors explain the repeat viewings. Director and studio MAPPA delivered animation, kinetic action, and a sound design that amplified the movie’s visceral impact. The Reze Arc’s emotional complexity — blending romance, betrayal and violence — created a word-of-mouth loop among fans and casual viewers curious to see what the fuss was about. Merchandise, themed screenings, and strong social-media buzz fueled replays, while fan communities organized group viewings and cosplay nights that pushed admissions higher.
"Chainsaw Man’s film success isn’t just about spectacle — it’s about cultural timing and a studio willing to push the form. The Reze Arc captured mainstream attention while keeping the original manga’s unpredictable heart," says cinema historian Marko Jensen.
Industry context and what’s next
The success of Reze Arc contributes to a broader 2025 trend: anime films repeatedly dominate Japanese box office charts and increasingly cross into mainstream pop culture conversations. That trend also benefits studios like MAPPA, which recently confirmed production of Chainsaw Man season 2, adapting the International Assassins arc. The prospect of new episodes should sustain interest in the franchise and likely boost ancillary revenue — from streaming windows to global licensing.
Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto acknowledged the achievement personally, thanking fans for multiple viewings and admitting he’s still amazed by the film’s success. For viewers and industry watchers, Reze Arc’s run is a reminder that anime cinema can be both artistically risky and commercially triumphant.
A final note: Chainsaw Man’s box-office story is both a celebration of fandom and a signal of evolving tastes. As MAPPA moves forward with Season 2, keep an eye on how theatrical performance and serialized streaming will continue to reshape anime’s place in the global film landscape.
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