Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio’s film, The First Slam Dunk, has reached a major milestone by surpassing $1 million in box office earnings in North America. The popular sports anime was released in theaters on July 28 and has since become a financial success for the two studios.
During its first weekend in theaters, the movie earned $662,211, and it earned an additional $98,270 during its second weekend. As of August 7, the film’s earnings in North America range between $1,033,000 and $1,050,647. It ranked #18 overall during its second theatrical weekend.
The First Slam Dunk was also a major success in Japan. It was released in December 2022 and ranked #1 during its opening weekend. The film earned over 1.29 billion yen ($9 million) from approximately 847,000 ticket sales across the country. As of July 23, the film’s total earnings in Japan reached an impressive 14.9 billion yen ($105.3 million), making it the 14th highest-earning film of all time in Japan. Overall, Toei Animation’s films, including The First Slam Dunk and One Piece Film: Red, earned a total of 32.56 billion yen ($246 million) in 2022, breaking the studio’s previous annual box office record of 17.98 billion yen.
The First Slam Dunk is adapted from Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga, which was first released in Weekly Shonen Jump in October 1990. The story follows Sakuragi Hanamichi, a high school delinquent who joins the Shohoku high school basketball team to impress a girl named Haruko Akagi. Over time, Sakuragi develops a genuine love for the sport and his teammates. The film focuses on Sakuragi’s teammate, Ryota Miyagi, as he deals with the loss of his brother and prepares for the Inter-High School National Championships. The film is written and directed by Takehiko Inoue himself.
Slam Dunk has also been adapted into a TV anime series, which aired from 1993 to 1996. The series consisted of 101 episodes and was helmed by Chief Director Nobutaka Nishizawa. Toei Animation also produced several animated specials that were released alongside the series.
The First Slam Dunk is currently playing in theaters across North America in both subbed and English-dubbed versions. The Slam Dunk manga is available in English from VIZ Media.
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