We continue to offer a free 2-week trial of WrapPRO. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time.Greetings!The success of "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" last month put anime on the map for a lot of people in the entertainment world. It set an anime record with a $56 million opening and its global box office take of $659 million has surpassed "Superman" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps." Anime as a whole is a trend to which Hollywood needs to pay more attention. It's a market that was worth $31.9 billion last year and is expected to grow to $64.4 billion by 2032, according to SNS Insider. But with another anime film hitting the box office this weekend, don't expect a repeat of this phenomenon. "Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc" has some similarities to "Infinity Castle," including a passionate fanbase and a film that continues the core story from the manga. But it's not as universally beloved as the "Demon Slayer" franchise and hasn't been around as long to cultivate that following. "Demon Slayer" also has established a reputation for stunning animation worthy of cinema, which is also a unique advantage. As a result, our Jeremy Fuster predicts "Reze Arc" will likely fall to returning "Black Phone 2." Fuster notes, however, that "Reze Arc's" projected $11-14 million opening is higher than "One Piece Film: Red," a 2022 film based on a massively popular property. The fact that "Reze Arc" is set to outperform "One Piece" shows more people are willing to go to theaters to watch anime. It's a phenomenon I discussed with Mitchel Berger, who manages theatrical releases as the executive vice president of global commerce at Crunchyroll, ahead of "Infinity Castle's" premiere last month. He noted that anime fans crave the communal aspect, which is why anime conventions are so popular. Anime films offer these fans a more accessible way to get together. It's something for theaters to consider, especially with the consolidation in the media world potentially leading to less blockbuster content down the line. Speaking of which, tomorrow our Lucas Manfredi will have an analysis on the hurdles Comcast faces if it decides to throw its hat in the ring for Warner Bros. Roger Cheng 
That's a headline I didn't think I would be writing. Projections are calling for "Black Phone 2" to earn $12-15 million, good enough to top the box office on a sleepy weekend... 
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