In its first weekend of its US release, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is set to have a strong opening at the box office. The new animated film, released in the US and Canada on Friday, August 19, with its opening day at the box office bringing in $10.7 million, is projected to top the box office this weekend by bringing in a total of $21 million.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero launched in 3,007 theaters, making this the widest release ever for an anime film. The film was first released on June 11, 2022, in Japan, grossing about ¥2.4 billion, or $18 million since its opening. Following up behind the new animated film at second place at the box office is Idris Elba’s new thriller Beast, which was also released on August 19, bringing in $4.2 million on Friday from 3,743 theaters with a projected $10.1 million debut.
This projected opening weekend of $21 million puts it just behind Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train which brought in $21.1 million in its opening weekend in 2020, making it the highest opening weekend box office gross of any foreign language film in U.S. history. This opening is an increase from the 2018 film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which saw $9.8 million in its opening. This was also comparable to fellow Funimation film Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie which was released earlier this year in March and saw an $18 million debut.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is the 21st Dragon Ball film with it being the second film with the “Super” subtitle and follows fan-favorite characters Piccolo and Gohan as they face off against a new “Super Hero” Android threat, known as Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, created by Dr. Hedo for the Red Ribbon Army. Collider’s review from Erick Massoto gave the film a B+. Massoto praised the film’s CG animation, story, and fight scenes, describing the film as “a fun movie that knows how to use its humor and has fun with the fights, but it’s very conscious that you need to care about those characters to enjoy the ride.”
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is currently in theaters. Check out a trailer for the new film and read its official synopsis down below.
The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals who carry on its spirit have created the ultimate androids — Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. However, these two androids call themselves superheroes and start attacking Piccolo and Gohan.
