Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram has achieved record-breaking success, becoming the highest-grossing film in the long-running Japanese anime series. With earnings of $89.6 million (¥14.1 billion), it is now the most successful Japanese film of 2024 so far.
As of May 27, this 27th installment of the Detective Conan series has attracted 9.77 million viewers. It ranks as the 12th highest-grossing Japanese film of all time at the local box office and has held the top spot for six consecutive weekends.
The Million-Dollar Pentagram continues the adventures of Conan Edogawa, a child-sized detective created by manga author Gosho Aoyama in 1994. The films have been produced annually since 1997, animated by TMS Entertainment, and distributed by Toho. In North America and some other regions, the series is known as Case Closed, and it also includes an ongoing manga and TV anime series.
Released in Japanese theaters on April 12, The Million-Dollar Pentagram debuted at the top of the box office, earning $22.2 million (¥3.35 billion) from 2.27 million admissions over its first three days, setting a franchise record for the best opening weekend.
The previous record-holder was last year’s Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine, which was the first film in the series to surpass ¥10 billion, earning $88.2 million (¥13.88 billion).
In late April, Toho announced that the Conan film series had surpassed 100 million admissions in total. The only other Japanese franchises to reach this milestone are Godzilla and Doraemon, with the latter also being an annual anime series based on a long-running manga.
A celebratory video released by Toho highlights the series’ enduring popularity, attributed to its multi-generational fanbase. The films are traditionally released during Golden Week, a series of national holidays in late April and early May, which contributes to their strong box office performance.
The continued dominance of animation in Japan is evident. In 2023, the top three highest-grossing films were all animated: The First Slam Dunk (¥15.9 billion), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (¥14 billion), and Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (¥13.88 billion).
The Million-Dollar Pentagram is scheduled for release in the MENA region on May 30 through Spacetoon, in France on June 19 by Eurozoom, in Taiwan on June 28 by Proware, and in Hong Kong and Macau on July 18 by Mighty Media.
