This seems to fit better here than in the Episode 17 thread where it originated:
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Originally Posted by Mentar
And how would you judge its profit? How would you happen to know it? 
Sorry for putting it so bluntly, but I think you're full of it. Commercial numbers are well-kept secrets. |
So far, Claymore has only released the first couple of DVDs, so it's impossible to tell how well it's doing financially. The only thing we have to go on are the the Japanese TV ratings, and it's been getting a solid 1.9-2.5% rating. For the longest time, the only late-night TV shows that performed better were Death Note and Nodame Cantabile (both of whom also benefit from have successful live-action adaptations).
Next, the commercial numbers for Japanese animation isn't really any sort of secret: as this thread
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=42604 attests, a 26 episode series like Claymore costs about $2,300,000 USD. If the production team reaped $30 USD profit per DVD sold (not unreasonable considering the 6000 yen MSRP), then it would break even after selling 77,000 copies of the DVD, or about 8500 copies per volume (assuming a 9-volume release). As this thread
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=40506 shows, it's not out of the question. It's worth noting that Siegel Clyne pointed out that the correlation between the TV ratings and sales is very weak. The same can be said about the popularity of a show among Western fans and Japanese sales (Negima and Gundam Seed Destiny, sold like hot cakes despite being panned in many places).
The last thing to consider are the peripheral revenue sources like merchandising and increased manga sales. A show like Claymore is also highly coveted by Western anime companies, so it wouldn't be surprising to see it command total licensing fees of around $15-20,000 per episode (for Regions 1, 3, 4, and the different European countries). As it is, based on Claymore's appeal and overall quality, more animation production seems to be quite profitable. However, it's hard to say for sure until the DVD sales figures come in.