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The story
A post comparing Japan’s domestic box-office rankings — topped by anime titles like “Demon Slayer” — with the US rankings, lined with superhero blockbusters, sparked buzz on 5ch. Some in the thread joked that “America is nothing but tokusatsu (live-action special-effects shows),” while others debated whether anime’s dominance in Japan reflects the falling birthrate or people drifting away from movie theaters. The discussion also spread into the mechanics propping up the anime market, with some noting that “Chiikawa”‘s hit status owes a lot to Fuji TV’s licensing and merchandise strategy.
What people said
Japan Domestic Box Office Ranking
#1 ¥40.75 billion Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020)
US Domestic Box Office Ranking
#1 $951.0M Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
#2 $936.7M Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
#3 $858.4M Avengers: Endgame (2019)
#4 $814.9M Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
#5 $785.2M Avatar (2009)
#6 $722.0M Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
#7 $700.4M Black Panther (2018)
#8 $688.5M Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
#9 $678.8M Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
#10 $674.4M Titanic (1997)
Nothing but tokusatsu (live-action special-effects shows), huh
Hey there, 'Amerikasu' (a dismissive slang mashup for Americans) — let's graduate from tokusatsu together too
At the end of the day, nothing beats kids' movies
Kids basically always come with a buying a second seat for mom or dad
Probably the underwhelming leading lady
If cheap stuff keeps selling, the whole industry's quality drops and it ends up screwed anyway
It's officially part of the canon now
Fairly well known, actually
By the way, Leopardon is treated as Spider-Man's ultimate weapon and is absurdly overpowered
America → tokusatsu heroes
France → gloomy art films
India → everybody dances
Korea → disaster flicks and gory thrillers
Depends on the bonus merch, probably
The ones who do show up are mostly parents taking their kids to see anime
lol no way that's true with the birthrate this low
Wait, did the Japanese Spider-Man actually become official canon?
That's the 'metaverse' for you (likely a joking mix-up with 'multiverse')
Michael Jackson was a massive hit too
It's not like there was some revival boom in Japan — it's just the 'ice age generation' (Japan's hard-luck lost generation) who grew up on him shuffling out to see it
There's no way streaming actually grows anything
Creators take on all the risk while the platforms suck up the returns
Keep that up and it's just a slow death
I thought it had real character — it was good
Japan's got hits too, like 'Kokuho' (National Treasure)
Documentary-style or socially conscious films are strictly niche stuff, huh
Even American comic-book movies are political
Film industry bigwigs only get happy when a Japanese movie sells, so it's not like it's actually respected
Same Fuji TV family, but the gap between 'Bayside Shakedown' and 'Chiikawa' got so huge there was actually an article about execs grumbling resentfully about Chiikawa
Writing 'Corona whirl' instead of 'Covid crisis' is the actually embarrassing part
C-c-corona whiiirl lmaooo
Bet this guy'd also say 'book smarts aren't everything'
Simply put, Fuji TV handles the merchandise, so they get a cut just from the goods selling
That just makes them a bit player cashing in, nothing more
Do I really have to spell it out from square one for you?
It's not even on that level — Fuji TV handles literally all the collabs
Chiikawa sold because of Fuji TV
It's the other way around — Fuji TV is a company in shambles that's only surviving thanks to Demon Slayer and Chiikawa
Chiikawa would've sold just as well no matter who handled it
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
Japan’s all-time box-office #1, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” (¥40.75 billion), set its record in 2020 under pandemic-era attendance restrictions, so comparing it directly with a normal-times US ranking isn’t quite apples to apples. The US figures, meanwhile, are driven mainly by superhero movies with worldwide distribution revenue baked in, meaning the market scale itself is different. The thread split between those who tied anime’s dominance in Japan to the falling birthrate and the revenue structure of streaming services, and those who simply chalked it up to strong demand from parents bringing their kids. The idea that “Chiikawa”‘s success is really a product of Fuji TV’s licensing and merchandise business also became a central thread of the discussion.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch “Nandemo Jikkyo” (anything-goes live) board thread “An American says: ‘Japan’s movie rankings are nothing but anime lol, maybe adults should grow out of anime? lol’.”
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