Summary

  • The Gundam Seed Freedom movie breaks box office records and sures previous Gundam films in opening weekend ticket sales, showing the enduring popularity of the franchise.
  • The movie went through a troubled development history, reunites the creative team, and follows the new organization "Com" as it deals with remnants of the prior anime's villains.
  • Despite mixed reception and jokes about the series, fans' anticipation and positive response to the long-awaited premiere prove Gundam Seed still holds a special place in the hearts of mecha fans.

The new Gundam Seed Freedom movie has been a major success. Its opening weekend not only put it at the top of the box office, but even broke franchise records. Despite being some 18 years since the Cosmic Era shows ended, love for this subsection of Gundam still shows clearly after all this time.

The movie celebrates the 20-year anniversary of Gundam Seed, a series that garnered both praise and infamy for revitalizing the seminal Real Robot series, if only through soap opera-level dramatics that included some contentious writing choices. Despite the movie's development facing immense difficulty, taking years of planning before production truly began in 2021, its debut was an incredible success.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED the two main Gundams in the series

Fans seem to have embraced its long-awaited premiere, showing how integral Gundam Seed and its sequel have become to the franchise, smashing box office records for the Gundam movies. This is a testament to the enduring popularity of the Gundam franchise, which seems to be going stronger than ever.

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Gundam Seed Freedom Has A Record-Breaking Box-Office Debut

Produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda

The movie premiered on January 26, and within three days had a massive, record-breaking showing. It took the number one spot over its opening weekend, selling 634,182 tickets for a total of around US$7.20 million. This beats out the Gundam franchise's last record holder, 2021's Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, which sold 259,074 tickets for around US$4.77 million. As reported by the original Gundam anime.

Gundam Seed Freedom is the belated sequel that saw the return of the Cosmic Era's creative team, including director Mitsuo Fukuda, screenwriter Liu Goto, and a posthumous writing credit by Chiaki Morosawa. It takes place one year after Gundam Seed Destiny and follows Lacus and Kira's new organization, "Com", as it wrestles with the remnants of the villainous factions of the prior anime. The movie has famously languished in development hell since 2006, with the creative leads struggling to select a feasible script out of over a hundred drafts, not to mention further complications brought about by Morosawa's tragic ing.

Screen capture from Gundam Seed.

Gundam Seed has been the butt of a few jokes by mecha fans, especially with Gundam Seed Destiny's messy plot and characters. Seed Freedom's lengthy development history did not help its reputation either. But it seems the wait has been worth it for fans of the series, and proof positive that even after all these years, mecha fans still find something to appreciate about Kira Yamato and the rest, enough to beat out Hathaway. With plans for overseas showings in the works, there is no doubt this year is a great one for mecha fans interested in Gundam Seed Freedom.

Source: Anime News Network (2)