Netflix’s 2026 Original Anime Movie Cosmic Princess Kaguya Becomes Box Office Hit

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The highly praised musical, based on the anime, has been a major success in theaters in 2026, though it’s no longer available to watch on streaming services in the U.S.

The movie Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, which launched on January 22, 2026, recently announced its box-office success on social media. Even though it only played in a few theaters in Japan, the film earned over 1 billion yen – around $6.28 million in the United States.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! had a great start – and it’s a big achievement for the film. While it originally only played in 19 Japanese theaters for one week in late February, strong ticket sales led to a wider release across the country.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! Is a Box Office Triumph, in Spite of Netflix

As of March 13, 2026, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! has expanded to over 100 Japanese theaters.

Originally debuting at #5, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! fluctuated to #8 and then #10 in its first few weekends. After expanding its release, the film climbed back to #5 during its fifth weekend in theaters.

In 2026, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! has become the most popular Japanese animated movie created specifically for theatrical release. This Netflix film marks the directorial debut of Shingo Yamashita, who collaborated with Saeri Natsuo on the screenplay. The story draws inspiration from the classic Japanese folktale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

While the movie Cosmic Princess Kaguya! earning a lot at the box office is great news, it also makes us wonder if Netflix’s strategy of keeping films only on their platform is actually working well.

I recently heard George Wada, the CEO of Wit Studio, explain how streaming services like Netflix have really transformed the anime world. He pointed out that these platforms have proven there’s a huge global audience for their work, which is fantastic to see.

Many original anime series on Netflix don’t get the visibility they need to truly succeed, especially when competing with other shows. Some fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure believe the series has lost some of its appeal to international viewers since moving to Netflix, pointing to issues like the frustrating release schedule for Stone Ocean as an example.

Last April, Ryoma Kawamura, a producer at Wit Studio, announced a new project for Netflix. The character designs are being done by Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Although for future projects, the anime company is .

Despite this, the strong performance of Cosmic Princess Kaguya in theaters adds more weight to the idea that Netflix should release its streaming films in cinemas as well.

I’ve noticed Netflix is testing the waters with limited theatrical releases – they showed the last season of Stranger Things and recently put Season 2 of One Piece: Into the Grand Line in some cinemas. But it seems to me they’re missing out on a lot of potential revenue by not offering more of their shows and movies in theaters. They’re essentially keeping popular content locked to just streaming, and I think they could be making a lot more money if they expanded their theatrical presence.

You can now watch Cosmic Princess Kaguya on Netflix. The story follows Iroha, whose life changes when a playful girl named Kaguya, who ran away from the Moon, moves in with her and encourages her to collaborate on performances in a virtual world.

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2026-03-22 01:07