Chainsaw Man’s Reze Arc Rockets to $50M Early — Still Nowhere Near Demon Slayer’s Monster Haul

All eyes are on Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Early signs are mostly positive, but the film faces a steep comparison with the massive success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, so expectations should be measured.

1. Early box office and release
2. How it stacks up to Demon Slayer
3. Industry takeaways and quotes
4. Outlook for the U.S. release

Early box office and release

The film opened in 13 countries across Asia on Oct. 12, and so far it has made $50 million worldwide before hitting U.S. theaters, according to Crunchyroll. Moreover, the U.S. release date is Oct. 24, which will provide a clearer picture of its North American potential.

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How it stacks up to Demon Slayer

By contrast, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle pulled in roughly $87.0M in its first week in Japanese theaters, per Oricon. Therefore, while Reze Arc is off to a solid start, it is not matching Infinity Castle’s early pace.

Also, Chainsaw Man’s franchise is younger and more divisive among fans than Demon Slayer. Some viewers criticized the first season’s art direction, slower pace, and cinematic tone, which reviewers said reduced the manga’s chaotic feel; these points were noted by outlets such as ScreenRant and ComicBook.

Industry takeaways and quotes

Miles Atherton, founder and CEO of anime-focused marketing agency White Box Entertainment, offered several measured views. He said, “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.”

He also pointed to a realistic benchmark: “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.”

On promotion and audience dynamics, he noted that Chainsaw Man is harder to market: “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.”

Outlook for the U.S. release

In short, Reze Arc looks set to perform respectably, but industry voices warn it is unlikely to replicate Infinity Castle’s box office. On the plus side, Atherton says marketing teams have learned from previous anime releases and that the film adapts canon material, which may help attract both newcomers and fans.

He added, “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,” and further cautioned, “But if Reze Arc gets a third of the box office in North America than the latest Demon Slayer movie, I’ll be surprised.”