Chainsaw Man Follows the Demon Slayer Playbook: Exclusive Early Reze Arc Movie Screenings for Select Crunchyroll Subscribers
Think you’re a mega fan? Time to prove it—your devotion is about to be put on the record.
Crunchyroll really likes the word 'early' these days. The latest proof: Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc is getting Fandango Early Access screenings on October 22 for people on Crunchyroll's higher subscription tiers. Then the movie hits regular theaters a week later. If that sounds familiar, it should.
Crunchyroll is making 'early' a habit
If you subscribe at the Fan, Mega Fan, or Ultimate Fan level, you can grab tickets for the October 22 early screenings through Fandango. Everyone else can catch it when the film opens wide on October 29.
This is very much the playbook now. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle also rolled out Early Access screenings for the pricier tiers. And Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 is getting a peek ahead of time in the upcoming 'Execution' compilation film — November in the UK and December in the US.
- Oct 22: Fandango Early Access screenings for Crunchyroll Fan, Mega Fan, and Ultimate Fan subscribers
- Oct 29: Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc opens in theaters
- Also in the 'early' club: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Early Access via higher Crunchyroll tiers)
- Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 early look: part of the 'Execution' compilation film (UK in November, US in December)
Why a movie instead of season 2?
Rather than jump straight into a second season, Chainsaw Man is adapting the Bomb Girl arc (a.k.a. the Reze Arc) as a theatrical film. That is not a filler detour — it is a canon continuation of Denji's story. The thinking here is pretty straightforward: a movie can pull in a wider crowd than a weekly series, especially with studio backing.
"From a business standpoint, we want to have as many people as possible enjoy The Reze Arc. When we did that, we aimed to maximize our business. It should go theatrical," MAPPA president Manabu Ohtsuka told Anime News Network. "We want to reach a different, broader audience. We’re able to team up with Sony Pictures, which would be reaching such people."
Inside baseball translation: go big, go theaters, and let Sony help find folks who have heard of Chainsaw Man but have never opened the app. And yes, Crunchyroll putting the earliest showings behind its upper tiers is very much part of the strategy.
What to expect from Reze Arc
This picks up right where the anime left off. Denji is still hustling as a devil hunter after merging with his chainsaw-faced not-so-lapdog Pochita. Expect the same gleefully gnarly action and body horror, just scaled up for a movie. If you have been waiting to see the Bomb Girl storyline animated, this is that — on a big screen.