News

Japanese Box Office, July 13-14

The Pokémon the Movie: ExtremeSpeed Genesect film debuted at #2. Kunihiko Yuyama's feature film is billed as the final chapter of Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! (Pokemon: Black and White!). It features a confrontation between the legendary Pokémon ExtremeSpeed Red Genesect and Mewtwo, who returns in this installment in an alternate form. The film earned 486,097,346 yen (US$4,850,279) on 345 screens.

The Gekijōban Gintama Kanketsu-hen: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare (Final Gintama: The Movie: Be Forever Yorozuya) film fell from #4 to #5 in its second weekend. The film has a brand-new story written by original manga creator Hideaki Sorachi. The main cast for the original anime is returning once again for the movie. The film earned 187,293,992 yen (US$1,868,819) on 127 screens for a new total of 637,493,930 yen (US$6,360,914).

Soreike! Anpanman: Tobase! Kibō no Handkerchief, the 25th Anpanman film, fell from #5 to #6 in its second weekend. The film's theme is "hope" and it continues the theme of cheering up those affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. The film is screening simultaneously with the "Minna de Teasobi: Anpanman to Itazura Obake" (Playtime for Everyone: Anpanman and the Mischievous Ghost) short. The film ranked at #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 43,679,368 yen (US$435,832) on 143 screens for a new total of 125,114,082 yen (US$1,248,388).

Nintama Rantarō: Natsuyasumi Shukudai Daisakusen! no Dan (Ninja Kids!!! Summer Mission Impossible), the second live-action adaptation of Soubee Amako's long-running Rakudai Ninja Rantarō ninja gag manga, fell from #8 to #10 in its second weekend. In the film, the ninja apprentice Rantarō (Seishirō Katō) and his friends Kirimaru (Roi Hayashi) and Shinbei (Juri Shingetsu) have to reclaim the mystical Gokurakumaru sword. It is said that the wielder of Gokurakumaru shall rule the world. The film ranked at #11 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 37,169,094 (US$370,873) Yen On 290 screens for a new total of 92,346,002 yen (US$921,428).

The live-action film adaptation of Shunju Aono's Ore wa Mada Honki Dashitenai Dake (I'll Give It My All... Tomorrow) manga fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in its fifth weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo