The adorable world of Chiikawa has made a huge splash at the Japanese box office. Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island, the first feature-length anime film based on Nagano's popular Chiikawa manga, opened at No. 1 during its debut weekend.
The movie hit Japanese theaters on July 24, 2026, and quickly attracted audiences across the country. It opened in 447 theaters, including 65 IMAX locations, giving fans a chance to experience the popular Siren Arc on the big screen.
Chiikawa Takes the Top Spot
Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island recorded an impressive 2.24 billion yen (approximately US$13.68 million) during its first three days, with 1,508,538 admissions.
The movie also earned 990 million yen on its opening day alone, surpassing the opening-day figure recorded by Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram in 2024. This gives Chiikawa one of the strongest openings for a Japanese anime film released in 2026 so far.
The film adapts the popular Siren Arc, in which Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi travel to a mysterious island after hearing about an opportunity to receive rewards and food. The storyline has been one of the most recognizable and popular arcs from the original manga.
The movie's strong opening also extends beyond ticket sales. On Filmarks' first-day satisfaction ranking, the film received an average score of 4.17 out of 5, based on more than 7,000 reviews.
Kingdom Falls to Third Place
Meanwhile, Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen, the fifth live-action film in the Kingdom franchise, slipped from first place to third in its second weekend.
The movie earned approximately 734 million yen (US$4.48 million) from 449,600 admissions, representing a 53.7% drop compared with its opening weekend.
Despite the drop, the fifth Kingdom movie has already accumulated around 3.3 billion yen (US$20.15 million) from approximately 2.14 million admissions after two weeks in theaters.
Its two-week total stands at about 91.7% of the earnings recorded by the previous installment, Kingdom: Return of the Great General, during the same period.
Japan's Weekend Box Office
The Japanese weekend box office for July 24–26, 2026 saw several new releases enter the rankings.
The Top 10 were:
- Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island — New
- Toy Story 5 — No. 2
- Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen — Down from No. 1
- Michael — No. 4
- Kamen Rider ZEZTZ & Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity: W Hero Summer Movie 2026 — New
- PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie — New
- Darekasan to Asobo? — New
- Kuchi ni Kansuru Enquete — No. 8
- Obsession — No. 9
- Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu — No. 10
A Strong Start for Chiikawa
The No. 1 debut is a major milestone for Chiikawa, demonstrating just how popular the franchise has become in Japan. What began as a web manga has grown into a major multimedia property with an anime series, merchandise, collaborations, and now a theatrical feature film.
With more than 1.5 million people attending during its first three days, Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island has already established itself as one of the major anime movie releases of the year.
The question now is whether the film can maintain its momentum in the coming weeks and potentially challenge some of the biggest anime box-office successes of 2026.
What do you think about Chiikawa's impressive No. 1 debut? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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