Chiikawa Film Crosses ¥5 Billion in Just Two Weeks

Nagano’s pint-sized heroes just proved they can pack theaters. Production announced today that Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island has topped ¥5 billion (about $31.5 million) and 3.5 million admissions in only 14 days since its July 24 opening—cementing the web-manga smash as one of Japan’s hottest summer movies.

The feature opened like a rocket: roughly ¥2.24 billion and 1.5 million tickets in its first three days, then pushed past ¥4.4 billion by day ten. That pace has already made it the second highest-grossing Japanese film of 2026, trailing only Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway. Even after Spider-Man: Brand New Day briefly stole the weekly crown, Chiikawa’s holdover strength has kept the cuties climbing.

Adapting the beloved “Siren Arc,” the film follows Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi to a suspiciously perfect island lured by free ramen and easy monster hunts. Creator Nagano wrote the screenplay; Kei Oikawa directs with animation from Cypic (of Uma Musume fame). Word-of-mouth has been fierce—many first-timers calling the deceptively cute adventure closer to suspense than pure kids’ fare—while a new wave of limited theater gifts lands August 8 to keep seats full.

With school vacation still rolling and screens still packed, the little crew’s mermaid-island summer is nowhere near over.

Official: Official site · X