Akira’s U.S. 4K Return Takes in Estimated $3.175 Million Over Labor Day Weekend
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment brought the film to select U.S. and Canadian theaters on September 4.
Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s Akira earned an estimated US$3,175,000 during its Friday–Monday U.S. opening. The rerelease offers 4K and IMAX screenings, with subtitled Japanese and English-dubbed versions.
Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s Akira anime film earned an estimated US$3,175,000 across its U.S. opening holiday weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. The four-day total covers Friday through Labor Day Monday.
Its daily earnings were:
- Friday: US$1,220,000
- Saturday: US$725,000
- Sunday: US$695,000
- Monday: an estimated US$535,000
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment launched the rerelease on Friday, September 4, in select theaters across the United States and Canada. Screenings offer 4K and IMAX presentations, with Japanese audio and English subtitles or an English dub.
Crunchyroll presents Ōtomo’s cyberpunk film as an iconic, transformative anime masterpiece that pushed Japanese animation’s boundaries. Its description credits Akira with challenging established thinking, turning audiences toward the future and opening doors for later generations of groundbreaking films.
The story begins with World War III erupting in July 1988, then shifts to the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo in 2019.
Kaneda leads a gang of tough young delinquents, spending his nights riding motorcycles through urban wastelands and racing rival groups. During one outing, his friend Tetsuo encounters a mysterious boy created through human experimentation and suffers injuries in the resulting crash.
A military unit arrives and takes both Tetsuo and the boy to an army research facility. Kaneda infiltrates the laboratory to rescue his friend, but intense experimental procedures have awakened a new power in Tetsuo, driving him into madness.
Ōtomo started in manga before moving into animation. His work includes:
- Manga: Domu, Kibun wa mō Sensō and Akira, his best-known title internationally.
- Directing: a segment of the Robot Carnival omnibus, the feature adaptation of his own Akira, the Memories omnibus, the Gundam: Mission to the Rise event short and the Steamboy feature.
- Collaborations: Harmagedon, Roujin Z, Spriggan, Metropolis, Freedom Project and Hipira: The Little Vampire.
Ōtomo recently established OVAL GEAR, a feature animation studio based in Tokyo. Its first title is currently in production.
Sources: Box Office Mojo via ANN
