The movie ain't canon, but Uta is
My dude, I don't think you understand just how absolutely, completely meteoric Uta's rise to popularity is
Let me show you by comparing fanart on Pixiv with other popular/fan-favorite characters:
And now Uta:
Unlike Carrot or Yamato, there's no potential Strawhat hype for Uta. Unlike Sabo and Ace, she's not the MC's sibling. All four of those characters have been in the manga for years, and Uta's movie only came out a few months ago
And yet Uta has more fanart than twice the fanart of
any of them. For a character introduced in a movie that is absolutely insane. She is on top of the world
My dude, no movie anywhere can become the best performing of the year unless the entire family is watching it, not just 15-25 year old horny men. That projection you got there just isn't true
Even Oda's 80 year old father said it was great