What started out as a short apocalyptic, mecha psychological drama all the way back in 1995 and grew into a mammoth of a franchise has finally come to an end with their fourth and final film, Evangelion 3.0 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
The Movie was released on March 08, 2021, and was an instant box office hit with a whopping 2,194,533 tickets sold, amounting up to US$30.6 million (3.338.422.400 yen) in the first seven days across 466 theatres in Japan, and was ranked #1 in its opening weekend.
Nationwide theatres started handing out around 1 million copies of a pamphlet, EVA-EXTRA-EXTRA consisting of around 36 pages each (while supplies last). The pamphlet consists of a new illustration by Atsushi Nishigori along with a manga about an untold incident that leads up to the story of the third film.
Evangelion Total Earnings:
The film has earned a total of about US$78.65 million (8,605,093,500 yen) making it the highest-earning film of the series, both domestically and internationally as of May 30th. The movie was “rebuilt” as Evangelion 3.0 1.01 Thrice Upon a Time for the film’s last run.
It consisted of few minor revisions in the animation but doesn’t change the story itself. This brought the film back to the #1 position at the Box Office.
Delay in Release:
The delay in the originally scheduled release of the film on June 27, 2020, was due to COVID-19 concerns. The film was yet once again delayed and moved from January 23rd to March 8th. This was due to the considerations the staff had to make in the wake of the emergency declared in 4 prefectures in Japan, which later extended to 11 prefectures.
The Eva Loss:
The fact that it’s officially over has left many of us feeling a phenomenon dubbed by netizens as Eva Loss. We all know how intertwined the franchise and its director are, and according to sources, the series came from what one could call a dark place for Hideaki Anno, addressed his struggle in the industry as well as his personal life. So the series ending on a high note in the form of the last film is the best thing he could’ve ever received from the franchise.
*Spoiler Alert*
The fans feel as though the series and characters have left them behind instead of just simply going away. With the ending of the movie, Shinji grows up and escapes his cycle of sadness to live in a world without Evangelions in it. Shinji could never abandon Evangelion because his life is the way it is because of his experiences which helped him make that final choice. And just as he found his way to something better, I’m sure someday we all will be able to do so too. That being said, the past 26 years of the franchise will continue to hold a special place in all our hearts.
