Jujutsu Kaisen 0's Day 1 sales make it highest-grossing film of 2021 in Japan

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was released yesterday in theaters across Japan, and it has gotten an incredible response. According to sources, the anime movie grossed 1.05 billion Yen (9.2 million USD) on its first day in Japan.

With the second day being Christmas day, a further surge in sales can be expected.

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Jujutsu Kaisen 0 gets second highest Day 1 gross of all time for anime film in Japan

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was one of the most anticipated films this year. The manga was also the best-selling this year, and with a Christmas Eve release, the hype was sky-high.

While Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was only released in Japan, the turnout was speculated to be nearly as great as for Demon Slayer Movie: Mugen Train. There was a special midnight screening across the country, and more than 15,000 people had opted for the earliest screening possible.

With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as its first and second days, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was expected to do well. However, as of day one, the movie has grossed over 1.05 billion Yen, including preview.

For comparison, Demon Slayer Movie: Mugen Train, which came out in October 2020, had grossed 1.20 billion Yen on its first day and remains the highest-grossing anime film in Japan. On the other hand, My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission came out in August 2021 and grossed 320 million Yen on its first day.

One thing to note is that for anime series adapted from the manga, most anime films from an ongoing anime series are non-canon films or with the bare minimum hint of canon. The mangaka of the series does not have as much involvement as the canon. It is primarily the publishers who sanction these films with the agreement of the mangaka.

For example, while My Hero Academia movies are called semi-canon, mangaka Horikoshi has consistently debunked their canon value by simply not making any space for them in the timeline of his manga.

As such, Studio Bones’ attempt to integrate the third movie into the canon by spending one entire episode in Season 5 to introduce it in the middle of the Meta Liberation Army arc was met with severe criticism.

On the other hand, Demon Slayer Movie: Mugen Train was a canon movie. It adapted the Mugen Reissha Hen (Mugen Train arc) of the Demon Slayer manga, the direct sequel to Season 1 of the anime.

As such, the plot cohesiveness and connection with the anime seasons preceding and succeeding it were monumentally better than non-canon movies. Demon Slayer Movie: Mugen Train grossed approximately 40.32 billion Yen and is currently the highest-grossing anime film in Japan.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is also a canon film, but it adapts the prequel to Season 1 of the anime. This film not only connects with the canon but clarifies many mysteries that remained unanswered in Season 1.

It essentially brings the anime-only audience up to speed with the manga readers and introduces many characters who will become very important in upcoming arcs.

Originally slated to be released across 28 screens, TOHO Animation had to extend the number to 58 after the tickets were sold out. Fifteen thousand people opted for the earliest midnight screening of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 in theaters across Japan, particularly in Kyoto, Miyagi, and Tokyo.

Along with the tickets, TOHO distributed 5 million copies of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0.5 booklet to the audience on a first-come, first-serve basis. TOHO later reported that they sold more than a million tickets on day one.

The film itself was packed with surprises for the viewers. Combined with MAPPA’s animation, a stellar voice cast, and Akutami’s writing, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie stunned its audience.

However, no news of an international release has been announced so far. Neither MAPPA nor director Sunghoo Park has said anything about a worldwide release.

International fans can only wait for now and hope that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 will be available worldwide by mid-2022.