Sports movies making waves in Japan is nothing new, but the latest adaptation of the manga Slam Dunk has already broken a sensational anime movie record. Slam Dunk, which Takehiko Inoue created in 1990, is the seventh most popular manga of all time. Taking place in the fictional Shohoku High School, Slam Dunk focuses on the basketball team’s rise to victory.
The manga, which was also adapted into an anime series in the ’90s, quickly became a pop culture sensation in Japan. The franchise’s success was so vast, the Japan Basketball Association awarded Inoue with a special commendation in 2010 in recognition of how the Slam Dunk manga and ‘90s TV show helped to popularise basketball in Japan.
With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that The First Slam Dunk, a new movie adaptation of the manga, has already broken an insane record in Japan.
According to Anime News Network, the animated movie has earned 13.88 billion yen (102 million USD) as of Sunday, May 7. With these figures, the sports movie has now become the tenth highest-earning anime film in Japan, as well as the country’s sixteenth highest-earning movie of all time.
Anime distributor GKIDS is set to release both dubbed and subtitled versions of the film across the US and Canada this summer — so you don’t have to wait too long to see one of the best movies of the shounen anime genre. While you wait, check out our guides on the best anime characters, best anime villains, and how to watch Suzume.