Lots of news this week on media that drive sales.

While all the attention was focused on the massive box office hits Moana 2, which hit $600 million in its second weekend, and Wicked, which had taken in over $400 million after its third, there was news on a couple of films hitting closer to home.  Sony/Crunchyroll projects that Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, a recap of S1 of the webtoon-based anime and the first two episodes of S2 (see “Solo Leveling’ Gets a Date”), will take in a strong $2.4 million from just 846 locations in its opening weekend, according to Deadline.  And in its first territories overseas, the anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (see “’War of the Rohirrim’ Trailer”) underwhelmed, with only $2 million from 3,410 screens in 31 mostly minor markets, according to Variety. 

Prime Video has released the trailer for Season 3 of Invincible (see below), which will drop the first three episodes on February 6. The series has already been renewed for Season 4 (see “’Invincible’ Renewed”). Season 2 was split into two “chapters” of four episodes each.

Alan Moore has finally praised a media adaptation of his work, blessing the acquisition of TV rights to his new fantasy novel The Great When by Colin Collender’s production company Playground.  For the first time in my career, I’m genuinely excited and enthusiastic about a work of mine…one that I own, and believe could work marvelously in a different medium…being adapted for the screen,” Moore said in a statement accompanying the announcement.   The Great When, released by Bloomsbury in October, is the first of a planned five-volume series set in post-World War II London; Playground plans a multi-season event series.

Crunchyroll has released a trailer for Nyaight of the Living Cat, a new anime series based the Seven Seas manga written by Hawkman with art by Mecha-Roots (see below).  The Executive Director of the series is Takashi Miike, who directed the live action films Ichi the Killer, Audition, and 13 Assassins.  The series will debut on Crunchyroll in 2025. 

French animation studio TeamTO has been acquired by Italian company RIVA Studios after a competitive bidding process, the companies announced.  TeamTO, which has produced numerous series on leading platforms and networks worldwide, is the studio developing Infinity: Paradise Lost, based on the Corvus Belli miniatures game (see “Animated Series Based on ‘Infinity’ Game”).  The majority of the studio’s over 500 animation artists are expected to be retained, according to the announcement.  The acquisition was announced by the companies as “saving the beloved French animation studio from bankruptcy.”

Venture- and Sony-backed television producer Trioscope has acquired television rights to Vampiro: Rockabilly Apocalypse, the new comic series from Masked Republic Comics and Massive Publishing, which began their collaboration earlier this year  (see “Comics Star Famous Luchadores”).  Lucha libre legend Vampiro has been on a retirement tour for the past year, and draws over 1 million views to his podcast.