Chiikawa movie draws massive crowds and merch frenzy on Japanese release

The animated film "Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island" premiered nationwide in Japan on July 24 2026. Within five hours of opening it reportedly grossed ¥3.5 billion and by ten hours ¥2 billion, with early attendance estimates of about 240,000 viewers. The movie was shown on an unusually large schedule, including 41 screenings in a single TOHO Cinema Ikebukuro location, many of which were sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.

Fans were critical of the rapid resale of the limited‑edition charm mini‑figures that accompany the film; the items, distributed in eight random variants, appeared on resale sites within hours, with prices ranging from ¥2,000 to much higher for coveted sets. The official response warned against resale and some theaters altered distribution rules.

Complementary promotions included the "Enimay Lottery" sold at convenience stores from July 25, a series of scene‑cut videos released on the film’s official social channels, a special TV programming block on Fuji TV, and a temporary free‑streaming of the TV anime’s first 362 episodes on ABEMA from August 1‑5.