Detective Conan Film Topples Avengers: Endgame’s Box Office Reign In Japan

When it comes to box office hauls, Marvel Studios knows what it takes to make bank. The release of Avengers: Endgame proved the the MCU can topple even the most lucrative franchises with its whopping $2+ billion gross, but it seems the Avengers weren’t able to hold their top spot for too long.

After all, Detective Conan isn’t a force to be messed with, and the anime star proved as much recently.

For those unaware, box office gurus have been watching the worldwide market fall in line for Avengers: Endgame since its April debut. The film has highest-grossing movie worldwide after Avatar with a massive $2.34 billion haul, and it took over every box office upon its release. However, it could not repeat that luck in Japan last weekend.

According to updated box office numbers, Japan bucked the global trend and put its money towards anime between May 4-5. The weekend put Detective Conan above the massive MCU entry as its latest feature, The Fist of the Blue Sapphire, earned about $5.3 million. This overcame Avengers: Endgame which made $4.8 million as well as Pokemon: Detective Pikachu who followed with $4.1 million.

To put this turnaround in perspective, Box Office Mojo has listened the top-performing films in each territory for that weekend. From Australia to Croatia and beyond, the #1 movie was Avengers: Endgame. The only territory that dared stray away from the superhero team was Japan, and it is all thanks to one of the country’s most preeminent detectives.

As for how this swap happened, netizens are willing to chalk the turn up to several things. For one, the weekend in question marked the end of Golden Week in Japan, a week-long holiday where students and adults are given vacations. This meant audiences had more time to check out films like The Fist of the Sapphire despite the film’s release predating Avengers: Endgame. The reveal is also being linked to the popularity of Detective Conan in Japan and the critical hype that has surrounded the franchise’s latest film; To date, The Fist of the Sapphire is the second-highest grossing movie to hit the anime, and it is clear fans are down to see the film more than once.

So, are you surprised by this box office takeover? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters. Captain Marvel is also still playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.

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