The Pikachu Effect

Hi folks, it’s Yuji from Tokyo. Over the weekend, nerds around the world piled into movie theaters to watch one of the most anticipated video game adaptations in years: Detective Pikachu.

Critics bashed it but fans loved it, celebrating a novel depiction of how pocket monsters (known as pokemon) would look and behave in the real world. Despite competing with the still-roaring juggernaut "Avengers: Endgame," it had by Sunday raked in a respectable $170 million globally, recouping its production budget of $150 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Given a few more good weeks, it has a shot at becoming the highest-grossing game-based movie ever.