Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe earned $810K across 894 US screens in its opening weekend, marking the first Gundam film distributed directly by Bandai Namco Filmworks in North America.
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe opened to $810,000 across 894 screens in the United States over the weekend of May 15, marking the first time Bandai Namco Filmworks has directly distributed a Gundam theatrical release in North America.
The second film in the Hathaway's Flash trilogy averaged roughly $906 per screen during its opening frame. While the number itself is modest by blockbuster standards, the significance lies in the distribution model. Previous Gundam theatrical releases in North America relied on third-party licensors, but Bandai Namco Filmworks handled this one entirely in-house, signaling growing confidence in the franchise's Western viability.
Canada accounted for over 11 percent of the combined North American opening gross, underscoring that demand for the Universal Century saga extends well beyond the US border. AMC Empire in New York ranked as the top-performing single location.
The closest domestic comparison is Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX - Beginning, which opened to $882,000 across 784 theaters in February 2025 and finished its domestic run at approximately $1.2 million. Nymph Circe's $810K debut on a wider screen count of 894 puts its per-screen average slightly below GQuuuuuuX's, though the two films target quite different audiences GQuuuuuuX served as a franchise entry point, while Hathaway's Flash caters to established Universal Century fans.
On the international side, the gap is more pronounced. GQuuuuuuX earned over $24 million in Japan alone. Nymph Circe's Japanese run, which began on January 30, has accumulated $14.7 million domestically in that market, bringing its worldwide cumulative total to roughly $16.4 million before the US opening is fully counted.
Nymph Circe rolled out across multiple Asian territories before reaching US screens. Japan remains the dominant market with $14.7 million in total gross, followed by Hong Kong at approximately $496,000 and South Korea at roughly $338,000. The worldwide tally now sits at around $16.4 million, with the US contributing just under five percent of that figure.
The film carries a PG-13 rating and runs one hour and 48 minutes. It currently holds a 92 percent Certified Fresh audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting strong word-of-mouth that could extend its domestic legs beyond the typical one-weekend anime theatrical window.
Bandai Namco Filmworks choosing to self-distribute rather than license the film to a US partner is the real story behind the numbers. A direct distribution pipeline gives the studio greater control over marketing, screen allocation, and revenue retention all of which matter if Gundam is to sustain a recurring theatrical presence in North America rather than relying on occasional event screenings.
The third and final Hathaway's Flash film has yet to receive a release window or even a production update, leaving the trilogy's conclusion timeline uncertain. Whether Nymph Circe holds through its second weekend will offer a clearer picture of the commercial ceiling for self-distributed Gundam titles in the North American region.
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