2023 marked the end of the long-running COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us to enjoy many hobbies we had previously been unable to enjoy. Many people were finally able to resume activities that required large crowds, such as amusement parks, drinking parties, and travel. While anime viewing continued to be enjoyable in terms of regular TV animation, many fans were reluctant to go to the theater and enjoy the film in front of the big screen, and were unable to enjoy theatrical anime. As a result, anime films, which finally became enjoyable after the COVID-19 pandemic ended, have recently become extremely popular. While many anime films released this year have surpassed 10 billion yen in box office revenue, the theatrical release of "The Quintessential Quintuplets" has been confirmed. From a fan's perspective, the key to determining theatrical releases is how much they have increased their box office revenue. From that perspective, this year's anime film boom should be a major boost. This time, we'll explore whether "The Quintessential Quintuplets," scheduled for a theatrical release this summer, will be able to ride the wave of the anime film boom. I'd like to discuss these points and introduce some of the anime titles that are garnering attention amid the current anime boom.
A Raging Anime Movie Boom!!
First, I'd like to briefly introduce the current anime movie boom. This year, 2023, has been a breakthrough year for the anime film industry. Let's take a look at what's happening.
Old Masterpieces Become Hits
One of the defining features of the current anime movie boom is the rise of old classics becoming hits. Popular works from the early Heisei era are being resurrected as films and TV anime, garnering attention.
Growing Momentum During Golden Week
Especially from the perspective of anime movies, Golden Week, which is traditionally considered the peak season, is seeing more momentum than ever. Since this is the first Golden Week since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, many people seem to be looking forward to seeing anime movies that the whole family can enjoy together.
"THE FIRST SLAM DUNK"
"SLAM DUNK" is a particularly good example of a past IP finding renewed success. Originally a popular classic basketball manga, it has been a long time since its conclusion.
Wide Support in Asia
Although some time has passed since the series concluded, its popularity remains undiminished, and it seems to have gained widespread support, especially in Asia, including China.
Gaining a Wide Fanbase
As you can see, by repeatedly exporting this work overseas as a past title, it has gradually gained a wide international fanbase over a long period of time.
"Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine"
Also noteworthy are the animated films in the Detective Conan series, which have become a Golden Week staple every year.
Detective Conan's first 10 billion yen box office hit
That's because this film surpassed the 10 billion yen mark for the first time with "Detective Conan: The Black Iron Fish Shadow," released this year! 10 billion yen is considered a massive hit for an anime film, and this result shows that the long-lasting popularity of this film is only accelerating.
Enduring Popularity Among Women
The Detective Conan series, in particular, is known for its enduring popularity among women. Unlike the early series, which focused on solving mysteries, the story development has recently become more character-focused, offering a glimpse into the series' powerful survival strategy.
A strong survival strategy pays off
It's no wonder that this series' success in surpassing 10 billion is due to these efforts.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Among the animated films released during this year's Golden Week, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was a particular dark horse. This film is a film adaptation of the world's most well-known video game series, "Mario Bros."
An unexpected global hit!!
This work is a collaboration between Nintendo and Illumination, and while it may not be considered a purely Japanese animation, it's still worth noting that it's become a global hit as a Japanese anime.
A new milestone for Nintendo? ?
Nintendo, in particular, has been focusing on diversifying its business by leveraging its IP, not only in the video game business but also through joint ventures with Universal Studios Japan and health businesses. Given this success, it's likely they'll turn their attention to producing new films.
The world's best animated film is in sight
If "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" continues to perform well, it seems it has the potential to surpass "Frozen 2," the world's biggest animated film hit. It's great to see an animated film based on Japan's first IP becoming such a hit.
Can "The Quintessential Quintuplets" ride this momentum? ?
As you can see, the anime film market is booming like never before! It's wonderful to see Japan's world-renowned anime industry booming like this. It will be interesting to see whether "The Quintessential Quintuplets" can ride this wave.
A Hit Even During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Notably, this film was released in theaters in 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and became a huge hit, grossing over ¥2 billion. Given how successful it has been even during the pandemic, we can expect great box office returns this year!
Will the boom continue with the conclusion of the original manga?
However, the previous work depicted the conclusion of the anime series and attracted a lot of attention. In comparison, this work was decided to be produced after the original manga was completed, so it may be slightly less anticipated. Will it be able to retain fans even after the original manga has concluded? This is something to keep an eye on.
Anime Movies Still Doing Well Even During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Also, the idea that anime movies are exploding in popularity due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is somewhat questionable. This is because anime movies themselves were actually achieving a certain level of sales even during the pandemic, and in some ways, they were doing relatively well.
Are there other reasons besides the end of the pandemic? ?
If the end of the COVID-19 pandemic isn't the only reason for the popularity of anime movies, what else could it be? One possible reason can be seen in the current situation where older works are gaining renewed attention.
Has the content matured? ?
This is because anime works themselves aren't heavily promoted like Hollywood films, so they tend to be a little less visible. Perhaps it's precisely because they're so hidden that interesting works tend to be discovered overseas over time. From this perspective, one of the reasons for the success of anime films may be that "hard-to-find classic animations have matured as content and are now attracting attention."
Disney's Slump Could Also Be a Cause
Another factor, in addition to these, may be the recent decline in Disney films. Disney films have been declining in popularity in recent years, and there have been reports of a rapid decline in Disney fans. Perhaps it's precisely because of this situation that Japanese animation, which has previously attracted attention but not been mainstream, is now attracting attention. A particularly notable example of this is the worldwide hit "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
Summary
So what did you think? This article explores the recent anime film boom and whether "The Quintessential Quintuplets" can ride this trend. The recent anime movie boom is not caused by a single factor, but rather by a combination of various factors, such as the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the maturation of Japanese animation, and the slump in Disney's content. Therefore, it is unknown to what extent "The Quintessential Quintuplets" will be able to ride the anime movie boom. However, taking into account the number of potential fans this film has and the repeat viewing rate of the film by enthusiastic fans, I think there is a good chance that it will become an even bigger hit than the previous film! It will be interesting to see how much "The Quintessential Quintuplets" will increase its box office revenue with this film!
