Chiikawa Film Passes ¥17.9 Billion in Japan and Wins South Korea Weekend Crown

A twelfth week comeback brings another milestone

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island has surpassed 17.9 billion yen in Japanese ticket sales and 12.29 million admissions through October 12, 2026, returning to the top of the national weekend attendance chart almost three months after its July 24 opening. The animated feature drew 375,000 admissions and earned 563 million yen during October 9 to 11.

The result marked its third return to first place and its seventh weekend at number one. It had spent three weeks away from the top position before reclaiming it in its twelfth week of release. For a film that opened with 990 million yen on its first day, the latest figures show that its success extends well beyond its initial rush of fans.

The same weekend brought a separate victory in South Korea. There, the film sold 407,895 tickets, narrowly taking the attendance crown by just 215 admissions. Its Korean cumulative audience reached 1,281,485 following a September 30 wide release, giving the franchise a measurable theatrical success outside Japan.

Behind those results is an unusual combination: small, appealing characters, a threatening island adventure, a familiar song about friendship, and a release campaign that has repeatedly given audiences new reasons to visit theaters. Special screenings and collectible admission gifts have accompanied the run, although the published figures do not establish how much each contributed to ticket sales.

First in attendance, not weekend revenue

Japan's weekend ranking is based on admissions, a distinction that matters in this case. Chiikawa attracted more viewers than the newly released Resident Evil film directed by Zach Cregger, but the horror adaptation earned more money during the same three days.

Resident Evil opened with 356,000 admissions and 627 million yen, compared with Chiikawa's 375,000 admissions and 563 million yen. Chiikawa therefore led by 19,000 tickets, while Resident Evil led by 64 million yen in revenue. Dividing receipts by admissions gives approximately 1,501 yen per ticket for Chiikawa and 1,761 yen for Resident Evil. Those averages do not explain the difference in ticket prices, but they show why the two measures produce different leaders.

The film that had occupied first place the previous weekend, Mama ga Mou Kono Sekai ni Inakutemo: Watashi no Inochi no Nikki, moved to third with 327,000 admissions and 488 million yen. Four new releases entered the top ten, including Resident Evil, the adaptation of Yuu Nagira's novel Nanji, Hoshi no Gotoku, Girls & Panzer das Finale Episode 5, and Digger.

Chiikawa's return was also a reversal from its eleventh weekend, when it had fallen from second to fourth and earned 178,447,600 yen. Its latest weekend revenue was about 3.2 times that figure. That is a substantial rebound, although differences in reporting periods and release activity make it unsuitable as a measure of demand unaffected by promotions.

How the film reached 17.9 billion yen

The film launched across 447 Japanese theaters, including 65 IMAX locations. TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro scheduled 41 screenings on opening day, illustrating the scale of the initial release. Its first three days produced 1,508,500 admissions and precisely 2,240,333,500 yen.

The major reported milestones trace a run that continued to expand through late summer and into October:

• July 24: The Japanese release opened with 990 million yen in first day revenue.
• First three days: Revenue reached about 2.24 billion yen, with more than 1.5 million admissions.
• First 14 days: Revenue passed 5 billion yen.
• August 23: A report placed attendance at 7.66 million and said revenue had passed 10 billion yen.
• September 6: After 45 days, attendance reached 9.6 million, with revenue reported at approximately 13.9 billion yen.
• September 14 announcement: The 52 day tally passed 10 million admissions and 14.66 billion yen.
• September 20: After 59 days, revenue reached 15.84 billion yen and attendance 10.857 million.
• October 6: Revenue exceeded 17.2 billion yen, with more than 11.78 million admissions.
• October 12: Revenue passed 17.9 billion yen and attendance 12.29 million.

There are differences in the early milestone accounts. One places the film above 10 billion yen after 30 days, while another gives 11.05 billion yen and 7.66 million admissions after 31 days. A separate account describes approximately 11 billion yen after a month. These should not be treated as identical snapshots with identical cutoffs.

The 45 day total is also given as both 13.9 billion yen and 13.89 billion yen, a small difference consistent with rounding. Using the rounded September 20 and October 12 figures, the film added approximately 2.06 billion yen and 1.433 million admissions between those dates. Attendance counts measure tickets sold, not necessarily separate individuals, so they cannot establish how many people returned for repeat viewings.

Annual leadership and a rising historical rank

By September 20, the film was ranked first among Japan's 2026 theatrical releases, according to figures attributed to box office tracking company Kogyo Tsushinsha. Earlier September reporting had already placed it above the 13.7 billion yen total for Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway.

Its position on Japan's historical revenue chart rose alongside its cumulative earnings. A September 6 account placed it 23rd, just above Jujutsu Kaisen 0, whose total was given as 13.89 billion yen. A later account, reporting Chiikawa revenue of 17,169,165,400 yen, placed it 14th.

Those are rankings at particular reporting dates, not a newly verified historical position for the 17.9 billion yen milestone. Likewise, the annual leadership describes performance during an unfinished year, rather than a final result for 2026.

The trajectory also exceeded early comparisons. After its first two weeks, its pace was compared with Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, which finished at 10.28 billion yen, and Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which finished at 11.64 billion yen. Chiikawa's latest total is already above both of those completed runs.

An island invitation with a darker promise

The film follows Chiikawa, Hachiware and Usagi after a suspicious flyer invites them to a special island. Its attractions include easy monster hunting with rewards at 100 times the usual level, limited island ramen, and sweets. The promise of plentiful food and generous pay draws the characters into a summer adventure despite their doubts.

On the island, they encounter Siren, a sea monster, and her mermaid companions. Beneath the holiday setting lies a story involving revenge, immortality, misunderstandings and choices whose consequences become increasingly difficult to escape. The contrast between harmless appearances and serious danger is central to the film's appeal.

The adaptation is commonly described as the Mermaid arc, Siren arc or Island arc. Reports differ on its origins: some describe a long story Nagano wrote specifically for the film, while others identify it as a manga sequence serialized on X from March to November 2023. The latter accounts establish that the arc appeared online before the theatrical release, so it should not be presented without qualification as an entirely new story first unveiled in cinemas.

Nagano wrote the screenplay and supervised the adaptation, with Kei Oikawa directing. Oikawa's previous credits include the Uma Musume Pretty Derby series. Production accounts also use different studio names, Cypic and Cygames Pictures. One detailed credit account identifies QTORY inc. as managing production and TOHO as the distributor.

Friendship, work and the song at the story's center

Chiikawa's world is not simply a comfortable setting populated by cute figures. Its characters earn money through demanding tasks, including weeding and monster hunting, and face pressure around qualifications. The phrase gig economy, used in discussion of the series, describes earning a living through separate paid assignments rather than stable employment.

Jason Chun, a popular culture researcher at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, has connected the franchise's appeal to anxiety and to the reassurance viewers may find in characters who struggle openly. Other interpretations connect its pressures with Japanese university entrance exams, professional qualifications and stagnant wages. These are readings of the work, not evidence that any single social pressure caused its box office success.

The film's treatment of friendship also draws on Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara, or Goodbye for Today. Shoichi Kaneko wrote the song in 1966 for youth and children's gatherings, where participants could sing together as their activities ended. Joan Baez sang it in Japanese during her 1967 visit to Japan, and Ryoko Moriyama recorded it that year.

Kaneko, the song's lyricist and composer, later described its origins in terms of his opposition to war:

a melody quietly hummed from behind a rock by a timid, soft-hearted opponent of war.

Before writing it, he had visited West Germany and seen the Berlin Wall. That history gives the song's presence in a story about friendship and escalating conflict a particular weight. Interpretations connecting the film with divisions in the wider world remain interpretations, rather than a confirmed statement of Nagano's intended message.

Special screenings and returning collectibles

The theatrical campaign expanded beyond standard screenings during September. Nationwide 4DX presentations began on September 5, adding moving seats, air and water effects synchronized with the film. Cheering screenings followed on September 11 at seven theaters across five prefectures, allowing audiences to respond aloud and join Siren's songs.

September 23 brought penlight screenings at those seven theaters, with lights changing color in connection with the action on screen. These formats turned some screenings into shared events rather than conventional quiet viewings, but there is no published breakdown showing their individual contribution to the cumulative revenue.

Collectible admission gifts have provided another strand of the campaign. Sixth wave charm mini figures feature Chiikawa and Hachiware, and Usagi and Momonga. Distribution was announced for October 10, coinciding with the weekend in which the film returned to first place.

Accounts differ on whether that date marked the sixth wave's introduction or its return. An October 7 announcement described the figures as returning items, alongside plans to redistribute third wave Siren pullback cars and fourth wave charm mini figures before the end of the year. Exact dates for the latter two distributions were still to be announced.

The October 7 update also unveiled a second main visual showing the characters gathered around a campfire under a starry sky. The timing links renewed publicity and gifts with the latest rebound, but it does not prove that either was responsible for the increase.

South Korea delivers a narrow weekend victory

South Korean figures attributed to KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, put Chiikawa's October 9 to 11 revenue at $3.13 million across 1,067 screens. It took 29.7% of the weekend market, while its cumulative revenue reached $9.9 million.

The attendance contest was exceptionally close. Local political thriller The Assassin(s) sold 407,680 tickets, only 215 fewer than Chiikawa, and earned $3.03 million across 1,312 screens. Chiikawa won the admissions comparison despite playing on 245 fewer screens.

Distributor Daewon Media's tally placed Chiikawa above one million Korean admissions on October 9, ten days after its September 30 release. It was reported as the year's third leading animated release in that market, behind Toy Story 5, with more than 2.948 million admissions, and Super Mario Galaxy, with more than 1.636 million.

An October 12 report described Chiikawa as second at the box office, differing from the October 9 to 11 weekend account. The reporting windows are not established as identical, so the second place description should not be used to overturn the more specifically dated weekend result.

What the franchise figures show, and what remains unsettled

Nagano began posting Chiikawa on X in 2020. The franchise has won the Japan Character Award Grand Prix four times, and its short television anime began airing in 2022. Those achievements preceded the theatrical breakthrough and show that the film entered cinemas with an established audience.

The franchise's digital totals vary across reports. Its X following is described as more than 5.35 million in one account and more than 5.55 million in another. YouTube viewing for the anime is given as above 500 million, with a later account specifying more than 540 million views for catchup streams. These figures indicate a large audience, but without matching measurement dates they do not provide a precise rate of growth.

In South Korea, the series is also known as Munjakgwi, a nickname referring to something small and cute. Large temporary retail events and merchandise sellouts preceded the cinema success there. The Korean ticket figures demonstrate an audience beyond Japan, although they do not establish how the film would perform outside Asia.

For Japan, reaching 20 billion yen would require roughly another 2.1 billion yen from the rounded October 12 total. No confirmed date for that milestone, final revenue forecast, or theatrical closing date has been announced in these reports. The next promised campaign updates concern the remaining collectible redistributions before the end of 2026.

Key Points

• Japanese revenue passed 17.9 billion yen and attendance exceeded 12.29 million through October 12.
• The film reclaimed first place in weekend admissions during its twelfth week, drawing 375,000 viewers.
• Resident Evil earned more weekend revenue despite selling fewer tickets.
• The Japanese release began July 24 across 447 theaters, including 65 IMAX locations.
• Special screenings and collectible gifts continued through September and October.
• South Korean weekend admissions reached 407,895, securing first place by 215 tickets.
• Dates for further collectible redistributions and the film's final theatrical total remain unannounced.