Comments
Mobile Suit Gundam returned to theaters earlier this year by expanding on Hathaway’s Flash storyline, returning to the universe that kicked off the franchise long after Amuro and Char’s war. With the Mech Series planning to release far more anime projects in the future, including a remaster of the 1970s series, Gundam has plenty to celebrate. Unfortunately, not everything is going swimmingly for the company that helps bring the anime franchise to life. In a recent financial report, it appears as though Bandai Namco Filmworks is going through a rough patch when it comes to both Gundam and its other anime franchises.
Bandai Namco Filmworks recently released its latest financial report for the year ending earlier this March, and it didn’t paint a rosy picture for the company’s net profits. According to the document, overall net profits for the Gundam company fell 43.8% for the previous fiscal year, which is a decline from around $29 million USD to $20.5 million USD. Now, this number doesn’t account for Bandai Namco as a whole, which does considerably higher numbers across the board, though the report doesn’t give a specific reason as to the decline. You can check out the document laying out the financial downturn by clicking here.
What Happened to Bandai Namco Filmworks?
Luckily, while we don’t have a concrete reason as to the decline in net profits, we can compare and contrast Bandai Namco Filmworks’ releases over the past two financial years. In the previous financial year, the company was responsible for releasing heavy hitters such as Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, One Punch Man Season 3, and the Ronin Warriors remake, to name a few. While this accounts for Bandai Namco’s television offerings, they also had films such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, and three Star Blazers films. For the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, many fans might see the anime releases as far larger.
For the more successful year, Bandai Namco Filmworks released major television entries such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season three, Blue Lock season two, Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance, and the highly anticipated sequel to Code Geass, Roze of the Recapture. On the movie front, Filmworks had the likes of Blue Lock The Movie, the first Star Blazers return series, while also bringing several Gundam series to the silver screen. While the decline is a steep one in terms of percentages, an $8 to $9 million USD decline isn’t that earth-shattering in the long run of things. With Bandai Namco Filmworks continuing to lean heavily into its biggest anime franchises in the future, it will be interesting to see how things look for its next fiscal year report in 2027.
What do you think of the big decline in Bandai Namco Filmworks’ latest report? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
New Gundam Manga With The Strangest Title Ever Announced
