Since debuting in Japan last December and releasing in North America last month, the anime film Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has been nothing short of a runaway train. As of earlier this month, the movie has risen to become the fourth highest-grossing anime film in United States history, just behind Pokemon: The Movie 2000, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, and Pokemon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back.Jujutsu Kaisen 0's performance in the United States mirrors that of its home country in Japan, where the film has sold about 9.5 million tickets, grossing over 13 billion yen ($108 million) since its local release back in December 2021. The film gained such momentum in Japan that it effectively became the country's 20th highest-earning film in Japanese box office history. It also surpassed Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time as Japan's No.1 movie for 2021.While it was only released in the United States and Canada in March 2022, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 performed very well at the box office. Initially projected to gross $8–13 million from 2,336 theaters during its opening weekend, the film ultimately went on to debut with an impressive $17.7 million, finishing just second to The Batman. This allowed the movie to achieve the fourth-best per-theater average among wide releases in 2022, just behind blockbusters such as The Batman, Uncharted, and Scream.
Estimates currently indicate that Jujutsu Kaisen 0's US box office earnings have passed the $31 million mark, effectively beating Dragon Ball Super: Broly's total earnings of $30.7 million in 2019 and becoming the United States' fourth highest-grossing anime film to date. The film's worldwide gross now stands at an estimated $162.85 million, double the $85 million that Toho Co. Ltd., its distributor, initially projected for the movie to earn during its lifetime. Such numbers are very impressive, coming close to Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke's worldwide gross of $169.7 million.
In a way, Jujutsu Kaisen 0's numbers hint that anime movies from younger franchises are gaining a solid foothold in North American theaters. Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which is based on a beloved classic shounen franchise, opened to $7.7 million and grossed over $30 million. The record-breaking Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, which is based on a manga that ran from February 2016 to May 2020, opened to $11.8 million and ultimately grossed $45.9 million.
While Jujutsu Kaisen 0 seems destined to become one of this year's most successful anime films, the movie has not escaped controversy, at least in North America. Earlier this month, a number of voice actors and actresses who worked on the film's English dub have shared that they received only a paltry amount for their work in Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Tara Jayne Sands, who voices Momo Nishimiya and Utahime Iori in the series, revealed that she was just paid $150 for her work in the movie.
This sentiment was shared by other voice actors such as Sean Chiplock, who added that those who worked on Jujutsu Kaisen 0's English dub would not be receiving royalties or post-release payments despite the film's runaway success. Sands, for her part, later noted that she had actually tried to negotiate a higher wage for her work in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 due to the film's theatrical release, but her requests were denied. Kaiji Tang, who voices Satoru Gojo, also stated that he would not be able to make a living out of dubbing alone, which is the reason why he does audiobook and educational work as well.
Source: Crunchyroll