Detective Conan is still doing absurd numbers in Japan.
The latest film, Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway, has delivered the biggest three-day opening in the franchise so far, pulling in 3.502 billion yen from 2,318,009 tickets in its first weekend. That pushes it past last year’s Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback, which previously held the series record with 3.438 billion yen and 2,314,690 tickets over the same period.
That is already impressive on its own, but the new movie also broke the franchise’s single-day opening record. It launched in 526 cinemas across Japan on Friday, selling 739,000 tickets and earning 1.13 billion yen on day one. The previous best was set just last year by One-eyed Flashback, which opened with 1.05 billion yen.
For a series this deep into its run, that kind of growth is wild. Most long-running anime franchises eventually level out, but Conan keeps finding ways to stay commercially huge, especially in Japan’s theatrical market.
This time, the story puts a spotlight on Chihaya Hagiwara, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police officer who leads the force’s motorcycle unit. Miyuki Sawashiro voices the character, taking over the role following the passing of Atsuko Tanaka. The film also brings in several familiar faces tied to the Kanagawa police side of the Conan world, including Jugo Yokomizo, Masumi Sera, Kenji Hagiwara, and Jinpei Matsuda.
Behind the scenes, the movie has a pretty strong lineup too. Takahiro Hasui, who directed Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine, is directing this one. The script comes from Takahiro Okura, known for Detective Conan: The Crimson Love Letter. Music is handled by Yugo Kanno, while Misia performs the theme song, "Last Danced Anata to".
The bigger picture here is that Conan’s movie momentum has been building hard over the last few years. One-eyed Flashback opened at number one in Japan in April 2025 and went on to earn 14.74 billion yen, making it one of the country’s all-time top-grossing films. Before that, Case Closed: The Million-dollar Pentagram became the franchise’s highest earner, finishing 2024 with 15.8 billion yen and ending up as Japan’s top-grossing film for the year.
Why should fans in Malaysia and the wider SEA region care? Simple: when a franchise is this dominant in Japan, it usually strengthens its international value too. That can matter for theatrical rollout confidence, regional licensing interest, merchandise demand, and overall visibility for the brand. Conan has always had a loyal fanbase in this part of the world, especially among anime viewers who grew up with Case Closed on TV, streaming, and manga shelves. A record-breaking run in Japan makes it easier for the series to stay relevant across generations instead of being treated as a nostalgia-only title.
It also says something about the current anime movie market. While flashy new IPs often dominate online conversation, legacy series with a clear identity and a reliable audience are still monsters at the box office. Conan keeps proving that familiarity, smart character rotation, and event-level movie storytelling can be just as powerful as novelty.
For now, Fallen Angel of the Highway is off to the best start Detective Conan has ever seen. The real question is whether it can keep that pace long enough to challenge the franchise’s all-time box office crown.
Source: Anime News Network