Pokemon Loses Major Box Office Record to Haikyu Movie

It is hard to believe that Pokemon made its anime debut more than 20 years ago. From TV series to specials, Pokemon has done it all, and that includes a number of movies. For many fans, their first memory of the anime comes courtesy of Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back. And following its 1998 premiere, the iconic film has lost a major box office title to the boys of Karasuno High School.

The reveal went live today as the box office totals for Haikyu the Movie: The Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump updated. It was there fans learned the sports movie hit a major milestone. To date, the film has earned 7.9 billion yen at the Japanese box office. The total has thrust Haikyu to Japan’s top 100 highest-grossing movies of all time. But to make room for Haikyu, Pokemon had to bail.

For the first time since its release, Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back is no longer on the top 100 list. It is a sad day as you can imagine for Pokemon fans. But to be honest, it is impressive the movie lasted on the Japanese list for as long as it did.

Of course, Pokemon fans in the United States will have fond memories of the anime’s first film. The movie marked the medium’s first to become a box office success in America as its opening topped the weekend box office. For decades, the Pokemon movie ranked as one of the highest-grossing anime feature in the United States until Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. The 2021 film took the top spot from Spirited Away. Even Pokemon‘s screenplay writer Takeshi Shudo admitted the film did better in America than it did in Japan. But even so, it took decades for Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back to lose its spot at the top in Japan. 

What do you think about this Pokemon box office update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!