Sony’s R-rated anime “Chainsaw Man” beat Disney and 20th Century Studios’ musical biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” at the box office in Thursday previews.
“Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” made $3.4 million in previews. It’s expected to lead the pack of newcomers at the box office with $11 million to $15 million, though it appears it could now surpass even that. It could beat last week’s box office champ, Universal and Blumhouse’s horror movie “The Black Phone 2,” which is looking to add $10 million to $12 million in its second week.
Sony already had huge success last month with its other anime offering, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” which opened to a stellar $70 million. Also based on an existing anime TV series and brought to the big screen, “Demon Slayer” has made $131 million domestically and $659 million worldwide. Now, “Chainsaw Man” could be Sony’s second anime success in a row.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” features “The Bear” Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White portraying Bruce Springsteen making his 1982 album “Nebraska.” It made $850,000 in Thursday previews. It’s estimated to make $8 million to $12 million in its opening, and it carries a $55 million budget.
The third newcomer this week is Paramount’s adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s novel “Regretting You,” starring Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco and Mason Thames. It’s also looking to make $8 million to $10 million this weekend. The PG-13 movie about a mother and daughter grappling with a devastating accident cost just $30 million to produce.
