News

Japanese Box Office, August 2-3

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, opened this week at #1. The sequels adapt the Kyoto arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga, with Takeru Satoh returning as Kenshin Himura and Tatsuya Fujiwara (live-action Death Note) playing the antagonist Makoto Shishio. The film also ranked #1 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 592,178,780 yen (US$5,794,712) on 428 screens over the weekend for a total of 822,655,726 yen (US$8,050,024).

Gareth Edwards' Godzilla remake film fell from #1 to #2 in its second weekend. The film, which opened in the United States in May, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Richard T. Jones, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins. The film also ranked #2 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 343,349,566 yen (US$3,364,688) over the weekend on 427 screens for a new total of 1,562,308,155 yen (US$15,309,995).

Pocket Monster XY: Hakai no Mayu (Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction) fell from #3 to #4 in its third weekend. The film guest-stars Marika Matsumoto, Japanese pro soccer player Atsuto Uchida, Yoshiko Mita, Kouichi Yamadera, Shoko Nakagawa, Rika Adachi, and comedian duo Nakagawa-ke. In the film's story, a country called the Diamond Empire falls into chaos when the legendary Pokémon Diancie loses her power to control the Holy Diamond, the empire's power source, and so she enlists the help of Ash and his friends. The film ranked #5 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 171,322,301 yen (US$1,678,890) on 357 screens for a new total of 1,478,812,993 (US$14,491,776).

Studio Ghibli's newest film When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Marnie) fell from #4 to #5 in its third weekend. The film adapts Joan G. Robinson's classic English children's novel of the same name. In his second film, director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (2010's The Secret World of Arrietty) is shifting the setting from the novel's Great Britain to a Japanese village on the shores of Hokkaido. The film ranked #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 182,697,050 yen (US$1,790,358) on 461 screens for a new total of 1,595,795,666 (US$15,638,159).

The double feature consisting of Gekijō-ban Kamen Rider Gaim Soccer Daisakusen! Kogane no Kajitsu Sōdatsuhai! (Kamen Rider Gaim the Movie: The Great Soccer Battle! The Golden Fruit Cup Struggle!) and Ressha Sentai TōQGer The Movie: Galaxy Line stayed at #6 in its third weekend. The films are based on the latest installments in the live-action Kamen Rider and Super Sentai television franchises, respectively. The Kamen Rider Gaim film includes participation from Japan's professional J.League soccer players and the Ressha Sentai TōQGer film follows the Safari Ressha who run the Galaxy Line, their conductor named Lady, and the Shadow Line member pursuing them. The film also ranked #6 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 66,727,859 yen (US$653,906) on 310 screens for a new total of 534,614,024 yen (US$5,239,004).

The live-action film adaptation of Kanae Hazuki's Suki-tte Ii na yo (Say, "I Love You".) stayed at #7 in its fourth weekend. The story of first love centers around Mei Tachibana (Haruna Kawaguchi), a girl who has never made friends, and Yamato Kurosawa (Sōta Fukushi), the school's most popular boy. British boy band One Direction performed the film's theme song. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart. The film ranked #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 51,221,921 yen (US$501,954) on 246 screens for a new total of 790,484,060 yen (US$7,746,428).

Eight Rangers 2 fell from #5 to #8 in its second weekend. Former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda will play the heroine in this sequel to the 2012 Super Sentai parody film starring boy band KANJANI 8 as the Eight Rangers. The film ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 56,385,985 yen (US$552,560) on 160 screens for a new total of 299,287,278 yen (US$2,932,896).

The American live-action film All You Need is Kill (Edge of Tomorrow), based on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, stayed at #10 in its fifth weekend. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in the film about a man who relives the same war against aliens over again each time he dies. The novel also spawned a manga by artist Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note, Bakuman.) and writer Ryōsuke Takeuchi (ST&RS). The film also ranked #10 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 34,155,232 yen (US$334,708) on 415 screens over the weekend for a total of 1,475,113,135 yen (US$14,455,519).

Soreike! Anpanman: Ringo Bōya to Minna no Negai (Let's Go! Anpanman: The Apple Boy and Everyone's Wishes), the latest film starring the kids' character Anpanman, fell from #12 to #14 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its fourth weekend and earned 18,122,135 yen (US$177,590) on 152 screens for a new total of 316,338,680 yen (US$3,099,993). In the film, which is the first film in the series since creator Takashi Yanase's passing last year, Anpanman teams up with his rival Baikinman to help a guest character named Ringo Bōya (Apple Boy) find the magic seed and save the world's apples from poison. Mao Inoue and Keisuke Okada guest star as Ringo Bōya and the black witch Majoora, respectively. The film will air along with the short film Tanoshikute Asobi: Mama ni Natta Kokin-Chan.

Ju-On: Owari no Hajimari (Curse Grudge: Beginning of the End) fell from #13 to #15 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its sixth weekend and earned 12,764,056 yen (US$125,083) on 121 screens for a new total of 511,121,086 yen (US$5,008,782). The newest film in the Grudge/Ju-On series stars Nozomi Sasaki as a schoolteacher named Yui who goes to investigate her student's home after he is absent. The student (Kai Kobayashi) lives in a house hiding a horrific secret. Yui must relive the horrors that took place there 10 years ago and find the truth hiding in the home.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo