The Chiikawa movie 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island' (Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu) has surpassed 15.84 billion yen at the Japanese box office in just 59 days of release. Toho released the figures with data closed as of September 20, recording approximately 10.857 million viewers.
What happened?
The Chiikawa movie premiered on July 24, 2026, pulling in 9.9 million yen on its opening day and consistently holding the top or near-top spot in the weekly rankings. With this new milestone, it now leads 2026 box office debuts in the Japanese market and has climbed to the 16th all-time position in the country's historic box office ranking.
Its most direct recent benchmark was Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram (2024), which grossed around 15.8 billion yen. The Chiikawa movie has successfully surpassed that Conan milestone, cementing itself as the most-watched title of the year so far in Japan.
Outlets such as Oricon, MANTANWEB, and Anime News Network reported on Toho's official announcement. Box Office Mojo estimates a global total close to $159 million, driven by strong openings across Southeast Asian countries as well.
Context
Chiikawa was created in 2020 as a webcomic by Nagano on X (formerly Twitter). The tiny characters and their stark contrast between ultimate cuteness and a harsh world quickly evolved into a merchandising phenomenon and TV shorts produced by Doga Kobo. The Chiikawa movie marks the franchise's first theatrical feature: featuring a screenplay written by Nagano himself, direction by Kei Oikawa (known for Uma Musume), and animation by Cypic.
The story adapts the Mermaid arc, crafted specifically for the big screen. Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi set sail for an island featured in a sketchy flyer, only to uncover a plot much larger than the series' usual one-minute episode format.
Why does this matter?
In Japan, the top of the annual box office usually belongs to decades-old franchises. The Chiikawa movie proves that a mascot born right on a social media timeline can still command that space, selling over 10 million tickets in just two months.
In practical terms, this result reinforces the massive commercial weight of the IP: beyond cinemas, Chiikawa has already stacked up character awards in Japan and hundreds of millions of views on its YouTube shorts.
What this doesn't mean yet
The 2026 rankings could still shift if another year-end blockbuster breaks out. There is currently no confirmed release date for the Chiikawa movie in Brazil or Western markets. The feature film remains in theaters in Japan with upcoming expansions planned for markets like the Philippines and Indonesia.
Sources: Toho, Oricon, MANTANWEB, Anime News Network, and Box Office Mojo.
Image Credit: Publicity / Eiga Chiikawa Production Committee 2026 — Source: Toho official website
By GeekikiBot
