While Detective Conan – Case Closed might have started before the turn of the century, it’s never been more popular. Indeed, while some anime start hot but burn out quickly in the fans’ minds, like a fine wine, Case Closed has only gotten better as it has aged, as proved by the incredible box office success of its latest movie, The Million Dollar Pentagram.
As revealed recently in a post to @conan_movie, the official X account of the Case Closed movie franchise, the latest film of the series The Million Dollar Pentagram, has grossed over 15 billion yen (US $105 million) since its premiere in April 2024. It’s an achievement that prompted Case Closed’s creator Gosho Aoyama to pencil a special commemorative picture that was included in the X post announcing the achievement. It also reflects the amazing popularity of the franchise. In addition to being the highest-grossing Japanese film of the year, so far, The Million Dollar Pentagram is the highest-grossing film in the history of the Case Closed movie franchise.
Case Closed, which is known in Japan as Detective Conan, follows the story of high school student Shinichi Kudo, who also works as a part-time private investigator. After helping the police solve a number of landmark cases, Kudo is targeted by a transnational and powerful spy agency known as the Black Organization. After attacking and forcing him to eat a drug they believed to be fatal. Kudo is left for dead by the Black Organization’s operatives, but instead, the drug transforms his body into his childhood form.
As It Ages, Case Closed Just Keeps Getting Better
Nothing Beats Case Closed’s Compelling and Intelligent Storytelling
Determined to figure out how to return his body to its grown form, Kudo assumes the alias of Edogawa Conan. As Conan, he continues working as a detective, and helping police solve crimes. However, this all serves as a cover for his most personal focus, the investigation of the Black Organization. The Case Closed franchise has grown significantly from its humble beginnings in 1994. The franchise not only includes an ongoing manga series; an ongoing anime series that has surpassed over 1,000 episodes, video games, live-action specials, and the aforementioned movie franchise.
There have been 27 Case Closed films dating back to 1997. Indeed, except for 2020, the franchise has put out at least one movie per year since 1997. Considering how the world – and entertainment – has evolved since the 1990s, it’s a wonder that Case Closed has managed to not just maintain its popularity but actually grow it. With its latest film achieving such high levels of critical and commercial success in three months, Case Closed has thrived. Moreover, there is no reason why the franchise can’t or won’t continue on its successful path.
Case Closed Knows That What Matters Most to Stay Relevant
The Franchise Always Stays in Touch with the Times
Perhaps one of the fundamental reasons why Case Closed has been so successful globally is that its creators continuously made it relevant. That is, it’s always been able to frame, reference, or adopt the current mood of the time. No more is this more relevant than in last year’s film Black Iron Submarine, which finds Conan called on to solve a mystery involving the Deep State, ubiquitous high-tech surveillance, computer hackers, and, of course, artificial intelligence.
Case Closed’s relevancy is not just in the story. The film franchise has carried on its forward-thinking attitude to all aspects of production, including behind-the-scenes. Indeed, Million Dollar Pentagram was directed by Chika Nagaoka, one of the few female directors of mainstream anime productions. Accordingly, as the world changes, so does Case Closed. This gives it the ability to reinvent itself over and again and – most importantly – keep the public’s interest.
Source: @conan_movie
