New Gundam Movie Just Smashed Another Record

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- continues to hit big in Japan. The film won the Japanese box office the weekend it was released and continued staying on top in its second weekend. The movie is a compilation of the first three episodes of the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime series from Studio Sunrise and Studio Khara. Oricon confirms the film has smashed another record with its main theme song, “Plazma.” The song reached No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Digital Singles with over 43,000 downloads in its first week. Kenshi Yonezu, a popular vocalist who has played multiple songs for popular anime, performed “Plazma” for Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.

“Plazma” marks Yonezu’s 17th No. 1 in the Oricon rankings, breaking his own record for the most number one digital singles of all time. Other popular songs Yonezu performed are “Kick Back” from Chainsaw Man, “Peace Sign” from My Hero Academia Season 2, “Tsuki wo miteita – Moongazing” from Final Fantasy XVI, and the “Spinning Globe” from the Academy Award-winning film The Boy and the Heron. Gundam fans got their first tease of “Plazma” from the Gundam GQuuuuuuX trailer that launched after -Beginning- came to theaters. Yonezu shared the new jacket cover art for the single that features characters Amate and Shuji.

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Gundam Continues its Hot Streak

Gundam has always been a huge brand, especially in eastern Asia, but the franchise has been on a roll with its most recent major releases. The most recent mainline entry in the series, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, proved to be one of the most popular shows in the franchise in years, leading to an uprise of Gunpla sales for 2022-2023. Gundam Seed Freedom, the theatrical follow-up to Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny, launched in 2024 and became the highest-grossing film in the franchise.

Seed Freedom made over 17 million USD at the box office, while Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- has currently made only nine million. -Beginning- still has some catch-up, yet overseas markets could help push Gundam GQuuuuuuX‘s box office closer to Seed Freedom’s final totals. The Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX compilation film is currently scheduled to be released in North American theaters on February 28th by GKIDS Films. Previous theatrical Gundam projects have played in United States theaters, including Seed Freedom and the original ’80s compilation films of the original Mobile Suit Gundam.

H/T: Oricon