When I say that Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc could’ve used more Power, I’m not talking about its box office. I’m talking about a character literally named “Power,” but that’s not important right now.
Yes, our number one movie is Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc, nearly doubling tracking with a take of $17.2 million. That’s one of the best openings for an anime movie ever in the United States. Chainsaw Man made headlines in the fandom when it was announced it would be getting a full theatrical film after just 12 episodes, a financial risk which has obviously paid off, as Reze Arc has already revved up more than $100 million globally. Also, for those who don’t watch the TV series, it really is about a guy who can turn into a chainsaw in order to battle devils (which are actually different from the demons in Demon Slayer), while also having the romantic luck of Charlie Brown. Trust me when I say it works.
Chainsaw Man was the easy winner among the newcomers, with the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You opening to a still fairly healthy $12 million. That’s a far cry from the $50 million It Ends With Us (no, I’m not getting into that) premiered to in 2024, as this was never going to do those types of numbers. The hype and star power simply wasn’t there. Critics would argue that $12 million is way more than Regretting You deserves, as they were absolutely brutal to this one (believe it or not, It Ends With Us got…pretty good reviews), but not all audiences are feeling regret with a ‘B’ CinemaScore.
The big loser this weekend is Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the not at all awkwardly titled sort-of biopic which only mustered up $9 million. There was a period in Hollywood when these types of outings, such as Ray and Walk the Line, were seen as surefire commercial successes and Oscar contenders. Why did Springsteen not get the same level of love? I’m just going to say it: movie tickets are too fucking expensive these days for people to rush out and see this kind of film. Who wanted to pay $20+ to watch this? As I’ve said before, inflation can only be blamed so much for what is ultimately theater chains getting too greedy for their own good. But that’s a column for another day.
Anyway, the top ten, via Deadline
1. Chainsaw Man (Sony) 3,003 theaters, Fri $8.5M, Sat $5.2M Sun $3.5M 3-day $17.2M/Wk 1
2. Black Phone 2 (Uni) 3,460 (+49) theaters, Fri $3.8M, Sat $5.4M Sun $3.76M 3-day $13M (-52%), Total $49M/Wk 2
3. Regretting You (Par) 3,393 theaters, Fri $5.2M Sat $4.6M Sun $2.97M 3-day $12.85M/Wk 1
4. Springsteen…(20th) 3,460 theaters, Fri $3.6M, Sat $3.1M Sun $2.4M 3-day $9.1M/Wk 1
5. Tron: Ares (Dis) 2,940 (-1060) theaters, Fri $1.3M Sat $2.2M Sun $1.4M, 3-day $4.9M (-56%), Total $63.3M/Wk 3
6. Good Fortune (LG) 2,990 theaters, Fri $925K Sat $1.3M, Sun $855K 3-day $3.1M (-49%), Total $11.8M/Wk 2
7. Shelby Oaks (NEON) 1,823 theaters, Fri $1.1M, Sat $700K, Sun $500K 3-day $2.35M/Wk 1
8. One Battle After Another (WB) 1,473 (-1059) theaters, Fri $650K Sat $940K Sun $740K 3-day $2.33M (-39%), Total $65.7M/Wk 5
9. Roofman (Par) 2,347 (-1023) theaters, Fri $600K Sun $875K Sun $525K 3-day $2M (-46%), Total $19.36M/Wk 3
10. ParaNorman (Fath) 1,359 theaters, Sat $637K, Sun $478K, Wk $1.1M/Wk 1 of re-issue