Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island has become the highest-grossing film in Japan in 2026, while the TV anime is set to receive an English dub on YouTube.
The first Chiikawa anime film has surpassed JP¥15.84 billion (US$97.144 million) at the Japanese box office, selling around 10.86 million tickets since its release on 24 July. The milestone makes Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island the highest-grossing film in Japan this year.
The Chiikawa franchise is also expanding its reach overseas, with the official English YouTube channel announcing that English-dubbed episodes will begin streaming on 1 October.
Chiikawa
TV anime premiere: April 2022
Animation studio: Doga Kobo
English dub: YouTube
Chiikawa film becomes Japan's top movie of 2026
Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island opened in Japan on 24 July and ranked first during its opening weekend.
The film earned 990 million yen on its opening day before selling 1,508,500 tickets and earning JP¥2.24 billion (appx. US$13.7 million) in its first three days. In its second week, the movie grossed JP¥9.28 billion (appx. US$ 58.11 million), with over 6.45 million viewers. Its latest total now stands at over JP¥15.84 billion, with around 10.86 million tickets sold.
The film's current earnings also put it ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Makoto Shinkai's Weathering With You at the Japanese box office.
Chiikawa anime gets an English dub on YouTube
The official English Chiikawa YouTube channel launched on 19 September and has announced that full English-dubbed episodes of the TV anime will begin streaming on 1 October.
The anime originally premiered in April 2022 and initially aired every Friday as part of Fuji TV's Mezamashi Terebi morning programme. It expanded to twice-weekly broadcasts in April 2023, airing on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime and currently streams it with English subtitles on HIDIVE. The anime is also available on Netflix.