Gundam Anime From Neon Genesis Evangelion Team Takes #1 At Japanese Box Office

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A new Gundam movie has hit Japan and will soon come to North America.

The title “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning” might seem absurd, but it undeniably stands out. When pronounced as “g-kwux”, it’s actually a promotional piece for the upcoming GQuuuuuuX series. Essentially, it’s a re-edited version of the first four episodes from the show, presented on the big screen.

What Is GQuuuuuuX About? When Will It Release?

The story is classic Gundam. Here’s the official overview:

Amate Yuzuriha, a student at a space colony school, lives a tranquil life in the vastness of outer space. However, when she encounters a war refugee named Nyaan, her peaceful existence is disrupted by an underground mobile suit dueling competition called Clan Battle. Competing as “Machu,” she engages in relentless battles every day, controlling the GQuuuuuuX. Suddenly, a mysterious Gundam mobile suit, being chased by both space forces and police, shows up before her, accompanied by a boy named Shuji. This unexpected event is about to usher their world into a new epoch.

GQuuuuuuX will be released in the Americas on February 28.

GQuuuuuuX’s Opening Box Office In Japan

As a devoted anime enthusiast, I couldn’t help but feel thrilled when “Beginning” made a triumphant entrance into the cinematic world, snatching the top spot in Japan’s weekend box office. Based on the latest reports from Anime News Network, it seems that this promising start is just the beginning for this captivating new release.

Initially, the sale of 352,500 tickets yielded approximately 599 million Japanese yen, which is equivalent to around 3.83 million US dollars, within the first three days.

A sum of $3.8 million might be superior to certain U.S. premieres, but when compared to successful anime releases in Japan, it falls within a lower range. For instance, by the year 2024.

  • Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom | US$7.2M
  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training | $4.3M
  • Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram | $21.7M
  • My Hero Academia: You’re Next | $6.2M

With Hideaki Anno being the writer of GQuuuuuuX, I would have expected more fanfare.

The Neon Genesis Evangelion Creator Supervised The Series

It’s astonishing to learn that Hideaki Anno, the brain behind the iconic anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” is now part of a “Gundam” project. Given his impressive track record, I would have thought the release of his new work, titled “Beginning,” would be an unmissable event for anime enthusiasts like myself.

It’s been more than 25 years since “Evangelion” first premiered, but Hideaki Anno hasn’t exactly been out of sight during that period. He’s worked on projects like “Shin Godzilla”, “Shin Ultraman”, and “Shin Kamen Rider”. Additionally, he invested over a decade in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” quadrilogy.

  • Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone | $2.4M
  • Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance | $5.3M
  • Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo | $14.1M
  • Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time | $30M (first week)
  • Shin Godzilla | $6.1M
  • Shun Ultraman | $5.4M
  • Shun Kamen Rider | $4.1

To put it simply, the opening weekend for the latest Anno project has been the lowest in over ten years. Although Anno is taking on a more supervisory role, he’s working alongside Kazuya Tsurumaki (the director) and Yoji Enokido (the head writer) on their Evangelion collaboration. According to reports, it appears that GQuuuuuuX is primarily Tsurumaki’s project.

When Will The Gundam GQuuuuuuX Anime Air?

At present, what we’re aware of is that the anime will be released later this year, so we’ll just have to wait for further updates.

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2025-01-20 22:09