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One of the most highly anticipated and successful anime films of late 2022 was The First Slam Dunk, a new film based on author and illustrator Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga. After dominating Japanese theaters and selling over 10 million tickets after six months, the movie is finally on the precipice of being released internationally en masse.
Upcoming international release dates for the movie include a July 7, 2023, debut in Spain, a July 28 debut in North American theaters, and an August 25, 2023, debut in Estonia. The First Slam Dunk has already been internationally released in Italy, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong over the last six months.
Sadly, it seemed that amidst the string of Asiatic releases, Indian fans of Inoue’s series were left in the dust. However, that changed earlier this week when an Indian theatrical release date for The First Slam Dunk was provided by PVR INOX Pictures.
The First Slam Dunk set to finally hit Indian theaters on Friday, July 7, 2023
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, PVR INOX Pictures announced that The First Slam Dunk film would hit Indian theaters on Friday, July 7, 2023. PVR INOX Pictures announced the news with a short video posted to their Twitter page, featuring brief footage from the film before announcing the July release date.
After six months in Japanese theaters, the film has sold over 10 million tickets to earn 14.43 billion yen (roughly USD 103.5 million). It now sits as the 15th-highest-earning film of all time in Japan and the ninth-highest-earning anime film in Japan. It has recently surpassed the lifetime domestic earnings of Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You film and is now trailing Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari film.
Suzume ended its theater run on May 27 after selling 11.15 million tickets and earning 14.79 billion yen (roughly USD 105.4 million). With such a narrow gap between The First Slam Dunk and Suzume, Inoue’s film is expected to surpass it by the end of its theatrical run, of which there should be at least a month left.
The film opened in Japan on December 3, 2022, and ranked #1 at the box office during its opening weekend. The film sold 847,000 tickets, earning 1,295,808,780 yen (roughly USD 9.50 million) during its opening weekend. The film also won Animation of the Year at the 46th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes.
Toshiyuki Matsui, the film’s producer, also received 2023’s general award for Eiga Engeki Bunka Kyokai’s (Film Theater Culture Association) 42nd annual Fujimoto Awards. Inoue personally directed the film at Toei Animation and wrote the script himself.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
