Box Office Shocker: ‘Chainsaw Man’ Anime Film Dominates, Springsteen Biopic Underperforms
Los Angeles – The anime film “Chainsaw Man” delivered a surprising box office debut, claiming the No. 1 spot with $23.85 million domestically. The film’s opening exceeded initial projections, drawing comparisons to the muted start initially forecast for a biopic about Bruce Springsteen.
The Springsteen film, focusing on the artist’s creation of his 1982 acoustic album “Nebraska,” opened to $12.5 million. Initial ticket sales were tracking similarly to those of “A Complete Unknown,” a 2023 film featuring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, wich started with $11.6 million. “A Complete Unknown,” from Disney’s Searchlight banner, ultimately grossed $75 million domestically and $140 million globally, benefiting from a holiday release.
According to box office analyst Jeff Gross,”As a genre,these pictures have the natural advantage of great music.” However, he noted a key difference: “Bruce Springsteen was not a controversial figure; his music was not part of a social movement; and he did not hurt himself with self-destructive behavior.” He contrasted the film with commercially successful music biopics like ”Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman,” describing it as a “smaller story […] about the artist’s struggle for his unique voice.”
Elsewhere at the box office, “Regretting You,” produced by Constantin Films, earned $10 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $22.85 million. The film, starring Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace, received a “B” grade on CinemaScore. It’s the second novel by Colleen Hoover to be adapted for the big screen,following “It Ends With Us,” which earned $344 million worldwide. Hoover’s “Verity” and “Reminders of Him” are also currently in advancement.
Disney’s “Tron: Ares” added $4.7 million in its third weekend, reaching a domestic gross of $63 million and a worldwide total of $123 million against a $180 million production budget. Neon’s supernatural thriller “Shelby Oaks” debuted at No. 7 with $2.3 million from 1,823 locations, earning a “C+” grade on CinemaScore.
In limited release, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s “Bugonia” grossed $690,000 from 17 locations, averaging $40,588 per location. Stone stars as a CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who believe she is an alien. Focus features will expand the film nationwide next weekend.
