Pokémon: The First Movie Loses 26-Year-Old Box Office Record
Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, the very first feature-length animated movie in the Pokémon franchise, has been surpassed at the box office 26 years after its release.
Japanese sales-ranking website Oricon has reported that for the first time in 26 years, Pokémon: The First Movie has fallen out of the Top 100 Grossing Movies of All Time. For over two decades, the first anime Pokémon movie sat comfortably in the top 100 with over 7.24 billion yen earned. However, this financial record has now been surpassed by Haikyuu!! Battle of the Garbage Dump, bumping the former out of the top 100 rankings altogether.
Haikyuu!! Battle of the Garbage Dump Makes Box Office History, Dethroning Pokémon
Released in Japan on Feb. 16, Haikyuu!! Battle of the Garbage Dump earned over 890 million yen on opening day. According to Box Office Mojo, Battle of the Garbage Dump has grossed over $47 million since its theatrical release. The movie serves as a two-part theatrical adaptation of the final chapters of the Haikyuu!! manga by Haruichi Furudate. Currently, there is no tentative release date for the second Haikyuu!! anime movie, but Battle of the Garbage Dump provides the perfect setup for the animated conclusion.