Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is on track to be one of the most successful anime movies of all time.
As reported by Japanese sales tracking service Oricon, the first film in Gege Akutami's supernatural shonen franchise, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, has earned 5.78 billion yen (about $50.7 million USD,) since it opened in Japan on Dec. 24. The prequel movie is currently outpacing the sales of Japan's highest grossing film of 2021, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, which earned over the equivalent of $42.6 million USD in the same amount of time, and ultimately went on to pull in $88 million USD at the box office. Distributor Toho previously announced that it was projecting a total gross of 10 billion yen (approximately $85 million USD,) for the Jujutsu Kaisen movie in its lifetime, though it now seems almost guaranteed to surpass that amount. A new poster image was also released in Japan to promote the movie.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 earned the number two spot in Japan's ranking of the best opening weekends ever when it was premiered, earning 2.69 billion yen (approximately $23.5 million USD) in its first three days in theaters. It ranked just behind the opening weekend of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train, which was released in 2020 and ultimately went on to become the highest grossing film in Japan of all time and the highest grossing anime movie ever made. While the movie's blockbuster performance so far is certainly impressive, it remains to be seen if Jujutsu Kaisen can top Demon Slayer's record breaking run and earn more than $503 million worldwide. Akutami's original manga did manage to just barely outsell Demon Slayer this year: Jujutsu Kaisen was the best-selling manga in Japan of 2021, selling a whopping 30 million copies in Japan in 2021, edging out Demon Slayer's 29.5 million.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel that takes place before the series' usual protagonist, Yuji Itadori, discovers the world of sorcerers and curses. Instead, the movie tells the story of Yuta Okkotsu, a young man who once promised to marry his childhood sweet heart, Rika Orimoto. Unfortunately for the young couple, Rika passes away at a young age and her spirit is transformed into a Curse, a monstrous supernatural being born from the negative emotions of humanity.
An international release for Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has yet to be announced. The first season of the anime can be streamed from Crunchyroll, while the manga is available in English in both print and digital formats from VIZ Media.
Source: Oricon
