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Japanese Box Office, July 28-29

posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie debuts at #3; 4th Umizaru live-action film stays at #1

The fourth live-action film based on Shuho Sato's (Say Hello to Black Jack, The Isle of TOKKOU) Umizaru coast guard manga, Brave Hearts Umizaru, stayed at No. 1 during its third weekend. The film adapts the "largest sea disaster" from the original manga: the water landing of a jumbo jet. The film earned US$5,209,789 on 450 screens for a gross-to-date of US$48,000,340.

The Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie film debuted at No. 3. The sixth Naruto Shippūden film and ninth Naruto film overall features a story and character designs personally created by manga creator Masashi Kishimoto. The film earned US$3,799,276 on 262 screens.

Mamoru Hosoda's Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children) film fell from No. 2 to No. 4 during its second weekend. This is the latest film by the director of Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The film's story covers 13 years and begins with a 19-year-old college student named Hana who encounters and falls in "fairy tale-like" love with a "wolf man." After marrying the wolf man, Hana gives birth and raises two Wolf Children — an older sister named Yuki ("snow") who was born on a snowy day, and a younger brother named Ame ("rain") who was born on a rainy day. When the wolf man suddenly dies, Hana decides to move to a rural town far removed from the city. The film earned US$3,514,337 on 381 screens for a new total of $12,850,183.

Gekijōban Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Kyurem Vs Seikenshi Keldeo fell from No. 3 to No. 5 in its third weekend. The film features the new legendary Pokémon, Keldeo. Kunihiko Yuyama returned to direct the film after directing most of the previous films and The Slayers films. The film earned US$2,626,788 on 357 screens for a new total of US$20,545,355.

Mika Ninagawa's Helter Skelter live-action film fell from No. 4 to No. 7 during its third weekend. Based on Kyoko Okazaki's award-winning Helter Skelter manga, the film stars Erika Sawajiri (SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade, 1 Liter of Tears drama series) as RIRIKO, a model who underwent extensive plastic surgery to attain her beauty. The clinic who performed RIRIKO's surgeries goes under investigation for questionable business practices, and RIRIKO's body starts to deteriorate. As the model's prominence in the entertainment industry begins to falter, so does her sanity. The film earned US$1,530,776 on 205 screens for a new total of US$15,148,107.

The 24th Anpanman film, Soreike! Anpanman Yomigaere Bananajima, fell from No. 8 to No. 10 during its fourth weekend. In the film, the titular hero, who has a bean-paste pastry (anpan) for a head, must join his allies and stop the dastardly Baikinman from ruining Banana Island. The film ranked at No. 11 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned US$338,215 on 135 screens for a total of US$3,879,832.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's fell from No. 7 to No. 10 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its third weekend. The film is a sequel to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st, which opened in 2010. That film was a retelling of the first series, and creator Masaki Tsuzuki emphasized that it was a "new parallel history." In the second film, the magical girl Nanoha (Yukari Tamura) has a long-awaited reunion, but soon after, she encounters a new peril. The film earned US$387,174 on 51 screens for a new gross-to-date total of US$4,263,764.

Hideki Takeuchi's live-action Thermae Romae film fell from No. 10 to No. 13 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its 14th weekend. Based on Mari Yamazaki's manga, the story follows Roman architect Lucius Modestus (Hiroshi Abe), who designs bath-houses in ancient Rome. One day he's sucked into modern-day Japan. Able to travel back and forth in between worlds, Lucius uses Japanese ideas to improve the Roman baths he builds in the past. The film grossed US$114,773 on 103 screens for a total of US$74,091,903.

Gisaburô Sugii's Guskō Budori no Denki (The Life of Guskou Budori) remake film stayed at No. 14 during its fourth weekend. The film adapts Kenji Miyazawa's (Night on the Galactic Railroad) classic fairy tale of a young man named Guskō in the Tohoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Guskō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Guskō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Guskō from his home. The film earned US$112,684 on 227 screens for a total of US$2,868,421.

The Starship Troopers: Invasion CG film stayed at No. 16 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its second weekend. The new film draws design cues from Paul Verhoeven's loose 1997 live-action film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's original novel and is directed by Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed). The film earned US$19,547 on 18 screens for a gross-to-date of US$135,235.

The live-action film adaptation of Satoru Hiura's women's romance manga Hotaru no Hikari - It's Only Little Light in My Life fell off Box Office Mojo's chart in its eighth weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsunshinsha, Box Office Mojo


This article has a follow-up: Japanese Box Office, August 4-5 (2012-08-14 19:45)
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, July 21-22
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