Crunchyroll’s ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Aiming For Top Spot At U.S. Box Office
Crunchyroll is about to take a significant step in its biggest theatrical distribution venture yet, with Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero set to release in over 3,900 U.S. theaters this weekend.
It’s the Sony-owned distributor’s first global rollout and its largest North American release to date. Box office projections look strong for the film, which has already generated $18 million in ticket sales after an international rollout that included premieres in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
The film is being picked by most box office pundits as the likely leader for the upcoming weekend, with most predicting an opening weekend take between $11-$16 million.
In 2018, Dragon Ball Super: Broly surpassed $7 million on its opening day and grossed $9.8 million over its first three days of release. Eventually the film would grab $30.7 million at the U.S. box office, good for the third-highest all-time total for an anime feature at that time.
As is usually the case for anime films in the U.S., Broly generated a significant portion of its eventual cumulative gross in its first week. That will likely be the case for Super Hero as well, although the upcoming theatrical release calendar provides little by way of competition, which could help the film’s performance in the coming weeks.
The film’s large theatrical rollout is bolstered by a Fortnite tie-in, IMAX screenings, and a hyped Crunchyroll Expo sneak peek. Combine that with the general growth in popularity among anime titles with American audiences and the stage is set for a strong opening weekend.
In May of 2020, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train became the first anime to hit number one at the U.S. box office in decades, opening with $21.2 million over its first three days on its way to $49.5 million overall. And earlier this year, Crunchyroll’s Jujustsu Kaisen 0 grossed a total of $29.6 million, including a $14.8 million opening.
