{"id":6824,"date":"2026-07-30T22:30:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-japan-box-office-1\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T22:30:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:30:53","slug":"chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-japan-box-office-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-japan-box-office-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiikawa Movie Opens #1 in Japan \u2014 \u00a52.24 Billion and 1.5 Million Tickets in Opening Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nagano&#8217;s beloved tiny creatures have made history at the Japanese box office \u2014 <strong>Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island<\/strong> (\u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f \u4eba\u9b5a\u306e\u5cf6\u306e\u3072\u307f\u3064) debuted at <strong>#1 in Japan<\/strong> in its opening weekend of 24\u201326 July 2026, selling <strong>1,508,538 tickets<\/strong> and earning <strong>\u00a52,240,333,500<\/strong> (approximately S$20 million at current rates). For a franchise that started as manga sketches on X in 2020, it is a remarkable milestone \u2014 and one that will have Southeast Asian fans watching closely for any sign of a wider release.<\/p>\n<h2>The Opening Weekend Numbers<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chiikawa-movie-poster-1.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Official movie poster for Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island, showing Chiikawa and friends in a tropical island setting\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Nagano \/ \u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f\u88fd\u4f5c\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As <a href=\"\/blog\/chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-2026\/\">we covered ahead of opening day<\/a>, the film is the franchise&#8217;s first feature film and adapts the fan-favourite Siren Arc. The debut weekend results:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u00a52,240,333,500<\/strong> in three days (approximately S$20 million)<\/li>\n<li><strong>1,508,538 admissions<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>447 cinemas nationwide<\/strong>, including 65 IMAX locations<\/li>\n<li><strong>#1 at the Japan box office<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Filmarks audience score: <strong>4.2 \/ 5<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Demand was intense enough that some Tokyo theatres scheduled <a href=\"https:\/\/jpbound.com\/chiikawa-movie-41-screenings-ikebukuro-2026\/\">up to 41 screenings per day<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>About the Film: Siren Arc, Creators, and Music<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chiikawa-movie-island-background.webp?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island \u2014 official background art showing the tropical island with dramatic ocean waves\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Nagano \/ \u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f\u88fd\u4f5c\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Directed by <strong>Kei Oikawa<\/strong> and produced by <strong>Cygames Pictures<\/strong> (distributed by Toho), the film&#8217;s screenplay was written by <strong>Nagano<\/strong> themselves \u2014 the first feature script from the franchise&#8217;s creator. The Siren Arc was chosen for its dramatic, movie-worthy scope: Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, and companions receive an island invitation promising missions and free food, only to find residents disappearing and a dangerous Siren lurking beneath the cheerful surface.<\/p>\n<p>The opening theme, <strong>&#8220;Kutsuzure&#8221;<\/strong> (\u304f\u3064\u305a\u308c, Shoe Sore), was written by Nagano and performed by the voice of Hachiware. The ending theme, <strong>&#8220;Tsukue Sasuru,&#8221;<\/strong> features music by Shugo Tokumaru.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gt-video\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N5439yrq_l8\" title=\"\u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f \u4eba\u9b5a\u306e\u5cf6\u306e\u3072\u307f\u3064 \u4e88\u544a\u6620\u50cf\u89e3\u7981\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture;web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption>\u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f \u4eba\u9b5a\u306e\u5cf6\u306e\u3072\u307f\u3064 \u2014 Official Trailer via \u6771\u5b9dMOVIE\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb (Toho Movie Channel) on YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Chiikawa Movie Box Office Success \u2014 But Will It Come to Singapore?<\/h2>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chiikawa-movie-characters.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, and the full cast of Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island in the official key visual\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of Nagano \/ \u6620\u753b\u3061\u3044\u304b\u308f\u88fd\u4f5c\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>No Southeast Asian theatrical release has been confirmed at time of writing. For Singapore fans eager for local Chiikawa content, the most accessible option right now is still merchandise \u2014 <a href=\"\/blog\/chiikawa-movie-uniqlo-ut-collection-singapore-2026\/\">as we noted in July<\/a>, Chiikawa UT tees from the movie collection are heading to Uniqlo Singapore outlets in mid-August.<\/p>\n<p>The broader picture does suggest the franchise&#8217;s momentum is hard to ignore. The Chiikawa anime has accumulated well over 500 million views through official platforms, the franchise holds a place in Japan&#8217;s prestigious Character Awards Hall of Fame, and a \u00a52.24 billion opening weekend puts it among the biggest anime film launches of 2026. Whether Toho or a regional distributor brings it to Southeast Asian cinemas remains to be confirmed \u2014 but with numbers this strong, the conversation should be happening.<\/p>\n<p>Follow our <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/manga-anime\/\">Manga Anime<\/a> section for updates on anime film releases, streaming arrivals, and more.<\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (English)\" theme=\"Anime\" flags=\"none\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island debuted at #1 in Japan with \u00a52.24 billion and 1,508,538 admissions in its opening weekend, becoming one of 2026&#8217;s biggest anime film launches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":6820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[25],"tags":[68,745],"class_list":["post-6824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manga-anime","tag-anime","tag-chiikawa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chiikawa-movie-poster-1.jpg?fit=848%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-1M4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5574,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":6824,"position":0},"title":"Chiikawa\u2019s First Movie Opens 24 July \u2014 Is Singapore Next?","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Chiikawa\u2019s first movie opens in Japan 24 July with IMAX \u2014 the beloved Siren Arc gets a theatrical debut. 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Singapore Uniqlo lands it mid-August.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/chiikawa-movie-mermaid-island-key-visual.webp?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5441,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/darwins-game-live-action-movie-2027\/","url_meta":{"origin":6824,"position":2},"title":"Darwin&#8217;s Game Gets a Live-Action Film \u2014 Opening in Japan 12 March 2027","date":"July 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Darwin's Game is getting a live-action movie opening in Japan on 12 March 2027 \u2014 Taishi Nakagawa leads the cast with director Fumihiko Sori at the helm.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/darwins-game-live-action-poster.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6534,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/blue-lock-live-action-movie-august-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":6824,"position":3},"title":"Blue Lock Live-Action Movie Opens 7 August \u2014 Full Cast and What to Expect","date":"July 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Blue Lock live-action film opens in Japanese cinemas on 7 August 2026. 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