From Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
In recent weeks, records have been set in Hollywood, with theaters running out of popcorn and candy every day as audiences flock to watch Evil, Moana 2, And Gladiator 2. But look a little closer at the box office reports and you’ll discover perhaps the biggest surprise of the holiday season: Solo leveling reawakening. The anime film, which is not really a new film in the successful Isekai series, is nothing more than a recap of the first season and the first two episodes of the second season, yet the Sony-produced film has grossed over $5 million worldwide .
A full-length advertisement
Considering the film is made up of existing footage and two episodes scheduled to air on television in January, that $5 million box office haul is incredibly impressive. Solo leveling reawakening was a huge success in the United States, where it grossed over $3 million, and that made Sony incredibly happy. Earlier this year, Sony executives said they wanted to bring more Anime Bringing films to American theaters, and here we have proof that even glorified advertising can turn a profit with minimal investment.
Sony has become the biggest name in anime since acquiring Crunchyroll, but if its rumored acquisition of Kadokawa, one of Japan’s largest manga and anime publishers, actually goes through, it will put a stranglehold on the entire industry. And it couldn’t have come at a better time because anime is hotter than ever. Solo leveling reawakening doesn’t even have half the appeal of Demon Slayerthe globally successful anime that replaces television with films. So if a new isekai can turn thousands into millions, what will a film adaptation of the Infinite Castle arc accomplish?
Solo leveling is incredibly popular
Here I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of it Solo leveling; even though I saw it Solo leveling reawakening My current isekai is still in the cinema Rise of the Shield Hero. And although it’s more of a reverse isekai, with monsters entering the human world through portals, it has many of the same plot tactics, but I like the hero Sung Jin-Woo and the reveal that the season 1 finale features makes him even more interesting in season 2.
Jin-Woo’s unique ability to level up makes him stand out from the other hunters Solo leveling reawakeningwho are bound to the levels granted to them when their powers awaken. It’s a simple premise, but the “job change” quest at the end of season one changed everything where the story would go, in my opinion, and then “The Red Gate,” which kicks off season two, brings more twists to what was until then. Under the surface, a pretty standard adventure anime. I’ll see scenes from Season 1 that I saw for the first time on the big screen Streaming looked much, much better and I’m now excited to see more of what’s to come in season 2.
Sony’s path to anime dominance
Solo leveling reawakening is an obvious advertisement, but there’s still something new about seeing an anime in the theater and I think Sony is making the right move to bring more and more films to the United States. With a cinema budget of almost zero, Sony could make more from its anime advertising than Warner Bros. does from its anime-influenced commercials Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrimwhich is expected to gross around $7 million in its opening weekend. It’s hard to believe that this is the same company that gave us Madam Web And Morbius is also taking anime to whole new heights and printing money in the process.
Solo leveling can be streamed on Crunchyroll, which is owned by Sony.
