The live-action film adaptation of the Saint Seiya anime and manga series opened in several countries with a respectable box office pull. Set to debut in even more countries over the coming weeks and months, fans of the franchise and the adaptation team of the film are hoping for continued success internationally.
Initial reports from box office websites The Numbers and Box Office Mojo further suggest that the Saint Seiya live-action film will be a solid hit. It’s also worth noting that the film has only just premiered in theaters, and will undoubtedly rake in more cash as its opening weekend continues in countries it’s already released in.
Especially exciting is that, based on current box office estimates, the film seems to be more popular internationally than in Japan currently. While this may seem detrimental to the box office hopes of the Saint Seiya live-action film, this is actually somewhat encouraging, as international markets are typically the most difficult to sell anime-based projects in.
Saint Seiya live-action film likely to cross 5 million USD internationally on opening weekend
As mentioned above, the latest box office estimates come from box office websites The Numbers and Box Office Mojo. Both are listing an estimated opening of 2.4 million USD for the live-action film adaptation of author and illustrator Masami Kurumada’s original Saint Seiya manga series.
The film has currently opened in Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Latin America, Kenya, and Romania. Listed estimates include a US$1,377,754 gross in Mexico, US$310,680 in Japan, US$173,731 in Colombia, and US$45,554 in Romania. For whatever reason, it seems that the exact Kenyan box office estimates have yet to be published by either side.
The film is also set to begin screening in the United States on May 12, with several other international screening release dates already announced. These include Nigeria and Poland on May 12, Germany on May 16, France on May 24, the Middle East, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Portugal on May 25, Spain and Bulgaria on May 26, South Africa on June 23, Italy on June 26, and the United Kingdom on July 28.
Kurumada’s original manga was published from 1986 to 1990 and has inspired a number of television anime, original video anime projects, anime films, and spinoff manga series. The mainline series has 35 million copies in print, with the Saintia Sho spinoff manga series also having its own television anime.
A CG anime remake entitled Knights of the Zodiac - Battle for Sanctuary - debuted worldwide in July 2019. The second season is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll and has been available since July 2022. The series is set for a third season, but no further release information has been announced.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.