3 takeaways on why an unheralded anime film crushed Springsteen biopic at the box office

This past weekend saw a box-office battle between two cultural forces. One you’ve probably heard of: "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere," a biopic starring Jeremy Allen White as The Boss. The other may be less familiar: "Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc," an anime title about a guy whose body can sprout chainsaws.

When Monday’s numbers came in, the results were decisive: "Chainsaw Man" debuted at No. 1 with $18 million, more than double the $8.7 million of "Springsteen," according to Variety. Effectively, a Japanese cartoon just K.O.’d one of the most famous names in American rock.

How did it come to this? Here are three takeaways from what only seems like a box-office upset.

1. Anime is huge

While no one was looking, anime has become extremely popular among U.S. audiences. Produced in Japan, the genre is closely related to the comics known as manga; many anime titles begin as comics, then migrate to television or streaming or — if there’s enough demand — feature films. The genre can be a little inscrutable to non-fans, thanks to the semicoherent titles ("Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood") and highly involved storylines that might include superheroes, spirits and alien creatures while also striking notes of romance and friendship.

In the past 10 years or so, anime titles have managed to score big at the box office. In September, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" broke a genre record with its $70 million opening debut. That’s surprising only if you didn’t know that a predecessor film from 2021 (subtitled "Mugen Train") had racked up $49 million. Other successful recent titles include 2022’s "Jujutsu Kaisen 0” ($34 million) and "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" ($38 million). And while Netflix’s word-of-mouth sensation “Kpop Demon Hunters” isn’t technically anime, it clearly borrows from the format’s distinct visual style.

It isn’t just Hollywood that’s catching anime fever. "Death Note," a manga-turned-anime that first appeared in 2003, eventually became a stage musical. One of its recent productions ran at the London Palladium in 2023, starring Long Island’s Adam Pascal.

2. 'Springsteen' was probably never going to be a hit

The rock biopics that seem to please audiences most are the ones that take a start-to-finish approach to their subject. Think Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Elton John in "Rocketman." Those movies spanned whole careers, allowing for maximum drama and poignancy, not to mention many years’ worth of hit songs. "Springsteen," on the other hand, zeroed in on just a few months, circa 1981-82, in the singer’s life. Springsteen’s biggest hits were still a couple of years away, which means no "Pink Cadillac," no "Dancing in the Dark" and just the briefest bits of "Born in the U.S.A." and "I’m on Fire."

Instead, viewers were invited to join Springsteen on a journey through a mental near-breakdown as he records 1982’s "Nebraska." Fueled by childhood trauma, tales of serial murderers (real and fictional) and the harrowing sounds of the art-punk band Suicide (a Springsteen favorite), the album is one of the darkest and bleakest of any rock star’s career. Disney’s 20th Century Studios, which produced the film, probably did not expect blockbuster numbers.

Even so, "Springsteen" is already underperforming. Its final $8.7 million opening was just shy of an earlier estimate of $9.1 million, according to Variety.

3. Movie stars are in short supply

"Springsteen" star Jeremy Allen White will be instantly recognizable to fans of TV’s "The Bear," but the 34-year-old actor is far from a name-brand movie star. Compare this movie to 2024’s "A Complete Unknown," which cast Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan and pulled in a healthy $140 million. The only marquee name on the Springsteen movie is Springsteen’s, which effectively labels the movie as a fans-only affair.

But this brings up a question: What star could have sold the film? The past few months have seen some of the biggest names in Hollywood fall on their faces at the box office. "A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey," a romance starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, has fizzled with just $20 million to date. Nor have Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst turned "Roofman" into a hit; it’s made just $24 million so far. Julia Roberts in "After the Hunt," Keanu Reeves in "Good Fortune" and Jennifer Lopez in "Kiss of the Spider-Woman" have all failed to pull in big crowds. Even Dwayne Johnson, one of the most dependably bankable stars in Hollywood, suffered the worst box office opening of his career with "The Smashing Machine," which pulled in just $5.9 million domestically.

Movie stars may never fade entirely — Leonardo DiCaprio surely helped sell "One Battle After Another," just as Michael B. Jordan surely boosted the success of "Sinners" — but at the moment they’re looking dim. Among the litmus tests coming up this year: The sports drama "Christy," starring Sydney Sweeney as a closeted female boxer; "Marty Supreme," featuring Chalamet as an eccentric ping-pong prodigy; and "Song Sung Blue," with Hugh Jackman as a musician in a Neil Diamond tribute band.