The anime Haikyu!! has just rocked the Japanese box office in a big way, pushing it towards some of the biggest franchises in the world.
In the aftermath of the Haikyu!! Season 4 finale, it was revealed we’d get twoanime movies. The first, Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump — aka: Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle — opened on February 16, and it jumped straight into the history books in Japan.
In fact, Haikyu!! has just moved into the pantheon of the most popular anime franchises going, and if these numbers should hold, it might be a phenomenon.
Haikyu!! has one of the best opening days ever in Japan
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle earned 890 million yen on opening day in Japan.This gives the film the fourth-biggest first day box office in Japanese cinema.
Forcontext, Haikyu!! now sits behind Jujutsu Kaisen 0, One Piece Film: Red, and Demon Slayer: Mugen Train in terms of Japanese opening day takings. That’s some impressive company — you have one of the most enduring franchises in One Piece, a current sensation in Jujutsu Kaisen, and what is currently the highest-grossing film ever in Japan.
Needless to say, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle is doing well for itself. The film will depict the long-awaited match between Karasuno High and Nekoma High, the eponymous Battle at the Garbage Dump, that was teased at the end of the fourth season.
Susumu Mitsunaka, who directed episodes of the show, is directing the film. Besides Haikyu!!, he’s also worked on The Boy and the Heron and Weathering With You, so he’s a strong filmmaker. As of now, we don’t have a UK or US released for Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, but when we know, you’ll know.
In the meantime, check out our guides toDemon Slayer season 4and thebest anime like Solo Leveling.
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
