Chiikawa Movie Passes 4.4 Billion Yen After Two Weekends with 3 Million Tickets Sold

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island has nearly doubled its opening weekend haul, accumulating 4,402,890,200 yen (approximately $27.89 million) with 3.05 million tickets sold after just two weekends in Japanese theaters.

A Strong Second Weekend Hold

The Cygames Pictures production sold 766,000 tickets and earned 1,072,085,100 yen (roughly $6.79 million) across its second Friday-to-Sunday window. While the film slipped from its debut weekend's number-one ranking to the number-two spot, the hold remains impressive for an anime film based on Nagano's beloved character franchise. The second weekend gross represents a solid retention rate against an opening frame that pulled in 2.24 billion yen across its first three days.

The film opened on July 24 across 447 theaters nationwide, claiming the top spot with over 1.5 million tickets sold in its initial weekend. That opening made it one of the biggest anime film debuts of the summer season. Two weeks later, the cumulative total has swelled to nearly double, with the 4.4 billion yen mark placing the film on a trajectory that could see it challenge some of the year's top-performing titles at the Japanese box office.

What Makes Chiikawa's Run Remarkable

Chiikawa's theatrical success is particularly notable given the franchise's origins. Created by manga artist Nagano, the series began as a simple Twitter webcomic featuring small, endearing creatures navigating a deceptively harsh world. The property grew into a merchandising powerhouse and a short-form anime series before making the leap to the big screen with this first feature-length film.

The movie adapts the "Siren Arc," a storyline written specifically for the film by Nagano. Director Kei Oikawa - known for his work on the Uma Musume Pretty Derby anime - helmed the project at Cygames Pictures, with TOHO handling theatrical distribution. The combination of Nagano's original story material and a polished theatrical production appears to have resonated with both dedicated fans and a broader moviegoing audience.

Box Office Context and Outlook

The 4.4 billion yen cumulative puts Chiikawa's theatrical run in strong company among recent anime films in Japan. The pace of ticket sales - averaging over 1.5 million per weekend across its first two frames - suggests sustained audience interest rather than a front-loaded opening that quickly tapers off.

With the Japanese summer movie season in full swing and school holidays driving family attendance, the film has favorable conditions for continued earnings. Reports already indicate the film has been tracking toward the 5 billion yen milestone, which would further cement it as one of 2026's standout performers at the Japanese box office.

The Chiikawa franchise continues to expand its reach beyond the theatrical run. The short-form anime series remains available for streaming, and the property's extensive merchandise line has kept the brand visible across Japan's retail landscape. Whether the film can sustain its momentum into a third and fourth weekend will determine just how high its final total climbs, but the first two weeks have already established it as a commercial triumph for Cygames Pictures and TOHO.