Chiikawa Anime Movie Debuts at #1 with Massive 2.24 Billion Yen Opening Weekend
The box office has a new reigning champion as Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu (Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island)—the franchise’s very first anime film adaptation of Nagano’s viral manga—opened at #1 in Japan. Released on Friday, the film pulled off an explosive debut by raking in 990 million yen (about US$6.05 million) on its opening day alone, ultimately dominating the weekend box office from Friday through Sunday with a staggering 1,508,500 tickets sold and 2,240,333,500 yen (about US$13.70 million) in earnings.
From X (Twitter) Arc to the Big Screen: Inside the Island Adventure
Based on the popular manga arc posted on X (formerly Twitter) from March to November 2023, the film follows Chiikawa and Hachiware as they answer a mysterious flyer advertising an “Invitation to a special island” filled with great rewards and free delicacies like island ramen. Series creator Nagano penned the script and original story, with direction by Kei Oikawa at Cygames Pictures, music production managed by QTORY inc., and TOHO handling distribution. Meanwhile, the live-action historical epic Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen slipped from #1 to #3 in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative total to over 3.35 billion yen, while the Kamen Rider Zeztz & Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity W Hero Natsu Eiga 2026 feature film debuted at #5.
