Was the release date chosen badly?
Summary:
- Spy x Family Code: White premiered in the USA.
- The movie didn’t make that much money in its opening weekend.
- Fans think there are several reasons for that.
Spy x Family Code: White is a feature-length movie, based on the manga series by Tatsuya Endo. It’s an original project and not an adaptation of one of the manga arcs, but it’s set in the same world and features our beloved Loid, Yor and Anya.
The US Premiere
Japan was obviously the luckiest country that got to see the movie first. Code: White was released there four months ago, in December 2023. But now it’s time for other countries to watch the movie, too. It premiered in North America and the United States on April 19, 2024.
The movie did incredibly well in Japan, dominating the box office for weeks. But it feels like the US fans are not as excited about the movie, judging by the opening weekend results.
According to Box Office Mojo, Spy x Family Code: White made $4,875,000 in its first weekend, which is a rather low number. For example, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie earned $18,009,921 in the opening weekend, and this year’s Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training made $11,505,414, and that was basically a compilation movie.
Of course, the situation might change in the future, since Code: White will be airing in theaters for some time, but the opening weekend is always the most important one. This is the time when most people go to see movies.
Empty Theaters
The numbers haven’t surprised the US fans. Few of them say that the movie theater was full or even half-full when they went to see Code: White. Some viewers admit to watching the movie in a nearly empty theater.
It’s obvious that the situation would vary depending on the location of a theater and the time of a showing, but judging by the overall revenue number those who experienced an empty theater were in the majority.
This doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the quality of Code: White. On the contrary, fans admit that they really enjoyed the movie, even though it’s not entirely canon. It was a fun experience, but they aren’t sure it needs to be seen in a theater. Perhaps waiting for the digital release is not a bad strategy, either.
On top of that, a big number of fans have already seen the movie in Japan in December, and they see no point in watching it again in another country.
A lot of anime movies are not as successful in the US as big live-action projects, and that’s obvious. Moreover, fans think that this time the release date also played a big role.
Code: White premiered in Japan in December, which is the hottest time of the year due to the holidays. And an April premiere can never achieve the same numbers as a Christmas release.