Although some purists may not accept it as an 'anime' title, since several of the key episodes were written by the Wachowski brothers, The Animatrix is likely to be the number one best-selling anime title in the U.S. in 2003.  Released last Tuesday in a highly competitive group of titles including the latest Bond film, Die Another Day, The Fast and the Furious Tricked Out Edition, and the Terminator 2 Extreme DVD, The Animatrix appears to be holding its own, although Die Another Day, which is being heavily discounted at various mass market chains, will undoubtedly be the biggest release of the week.  Video Business reports that The Animatrix actually outsold Die Another Day at the Wherehouse Entertainment stores, which were selling the new Bond film at $19.99, which is at least $5 more than at Best Buy.  Currently The Animatrix ranks #6 at Amazon.com, while Die Another Day is #3 (Buffy Season 4 is #1).

The Animatrix's main competition for top anime DVD release of 2003 may be the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, which has already generated more revenue on disk than it did at the box office (see 'Spirited Away Keeps On Trucking').  Spirited Away is a classic and should keep selling all year, but there are other major anime releases including the Cowboy Bebop movie, which comes out June 24, and Dragon Ball Z Movie #8, which could contend for the #1 anime DVD spot.  Since a high percentage of DBZ titles are sold in the mass market, many anime fans don't realize the extent of the title's popularity, but the initial ship numbers on the DBZ Movie #8 could be close to half a million units, which clearly put it in the forefront of anime releases.  Still with its close link to The Matrix Reloaded, which has grossed some $250 million at the box office, The Animatrix has a chance to reach a much wider audience.  The stunning animation and revelations about the Matrix mythos should please fans of the Matrix films, and The Animatrix may become a portal through which a wider audience for anime can be assembled, though it may take some time before 'word of mouth' spreads interest among the Matrix fan base.  Yes, it is true that many anime fans are also into the Matrix already -- but the Matrix audience is much broader -- no anime film has come close to the Matrix films' U.S. box office, so The Animatrix does represent an opportunity to expand the audience for anime in the U.S. (see 'The Animatrix Will Expand The Audience For Anime').