A film released in theaters has two goals: the first is to be lauded by critics or fans–the former may land you in Oscar territory if your movie is good enough–and, of course, the second is to have a big box office haul to make up what you spent making the movie and promoting it. 2022 has been good for theaters as a whole and proves that the box office is back. That is what makes the release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero this weekend so interesting.
Big anime movies at the box office used to be a bust unless it was something big like Pokemon, and even those stopped going to theaters after a while. In recent years, that’s started to change, even if only slightly in some regions. Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and the recent Dragon Ball Super films have all done incredibly well at the box office, and have earned nice revenue as a result. What are people predicting for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero this weekend?
In the US, the movie is going to be released in about 4,000 theaters, some of which will have more premium screens for people to watch it on. As a result of this, and the popularity of the brand, there are some who believe that the movie will be the #1 movie at the domestic box office.
Now, to be clear, while this is an achievement, it’s not like the opening will be on the level of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or other big name franchises that have come out recently. This is honestly a situation where there isn’t a big-name movie coming out this weekend, and as such, there’s no real competition. The only real game in town is going to be this film, and that might just work in its favor.
The previous movie of the line, Broly, did well in the US and made apparently 70% of its revenue in its first weekend, which is why many are expecting a good turnout for Super Hero as it would follow the trend setup from before.
The movie will have more of a focus on Gohan and Piccolo this time around, as the movie has them dealing with the Red Ribbon Army and their new androids, as well as a secret enemy that arrives by the end of the film.
Many are still hoping that this film will bring the TV version of the anime back, and if the box office is good, it could help!
Source: Deadline
