The latest film in the long running and popular sci-fi Gundam franchise had a noteworthy debut with $810k on 894 screens. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery Of Nymph Circle is the first in the series distributed directly in North America by its producer, Bandai Namco Filmworks, and further proof of how additive anime has become to the box office Stateside.
Gundam dates back to the 1970s and has jumped several times from TV to theatrical. The take this weekend is similar to that of the previous film released by GKids in February of 2025, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning, which opened to $882k in 784 theaters, and ran up a domestic total of $1.2 million. Both films cleaned up in Japan, especially GQuuuuuuX, which passed $24 million.
The Sorcery Of Nymph Circle, grossed $14.7 million in its home country, where it opened in January. This weekend, Canada was over 11% of the opening gross. AMC Empire in New York is the top theater. It’s Certified Fresh at 92% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Gundam franchise was a pioneer of the “mecha” genre of science fiction that centers on mechanical suits and giant, piloted robots. The storyline, as described by the official website: “The year is U.C.0105, twelve years after Char’s Rebellion. ‘Mafty’ has begun resisting the Federation government’s tyrannical rule by assassinating its ministers. Its leader is actually Hathaway Noa, the son of Bright Noa, who fought in the One Year War alongside Amuro Ray. A girl named Gigi Andalusia, who displays uncanny powers, has reminded Hathaway of a past trauma. Though he is bewildered by her words, he prepares to carry out an air raid on the Adelaide conference, determined to fulfill Mafty’s goals and lay his own past to rest.”
The film is based on the second of the Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash series of three novels written by Yoshiyuki Tomino and published between 1989 and 1990. It’s directed by Shukou Murase and produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks’ Sunrise Animation Studios. Kensho Ono voices Hathaway.
And stay tuned, the first live-action Gundam is on the way.
In January, Deadline broke the news that Netflix was on board to distribute the project co-developed by Legendary and Bandai. Gemma Chua-Tran (Heartbreak High) recently joined the cast, which also includes Sydney Sweeney, Noah Centineo, Michael Mando and Shioli Kutsuna. Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle is directing from his own script and producing with partner Linda Moran through their production company Nightshade, along with Centineo and his partner Enzo Marc.
Moderate release: Vertical is estimating a $483k opening for Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard Of The Kremlin at 582 theaters, noting a strong showing in upscale, “smart” theatres in the big, more politico-centric markets in the U.S. and Canada. Stars Jude Law as Vladimir Putin on the rise and Paul Dano as his advisor and whisperer. AMC Empire, Angelika Film Center (#1 in the complex), AMC Georgetown, AMC Mercado in San Francisco and TIFF Lightbox in Toronto (also no. 1) are top locations.
Limited: Dark comedy Forge from Utopia’s Circle Collective premiered to a solid $27k from an exclusive LA run at the Landmark Nuart. The directorial debut of Jing Ai Ng featured Q&As with the director, stars Andie Ju and Brandon Soo Hoo, who play art forger siblings in Miami, and prominent Asian American influencers. Adds New York’s Quad Cinema next week.
Greenwich Entertainment’s romantic drama Magic Hour opened to an estimated $10k in an exclusive run at NYC’s IFC Center, where it ranked #1 in the complex for the weekend. Directed by Katie Aselton, who stars alongside Daveed Diggs and wrote the script with Mark Duplass, it xpands to the Nuart in LA as well as Santa Barbara next weekend.
Silent Friend from 1-2 Special is eying $41.7k from 18 theaters in a week 2 expansion for a cume to date of $123k. Had a strong $74k opening at two NYC theaters last weekend, among the the highest per screen averages for recent non-English language releases. Directed by Ildikó Enyedi, it follows lives unfolding over a century in proximity to a majestic ginkgo tree in botanical garden a medieval German university town. Moves into Austin, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Portland, Seattle, Sacramento, San Diego next week.
