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Japanese Box Office: February 2–3, February 9–10

L change the WorLd, the live-action Death Note spinoff starring Kenichi Matsuyama (NANA, Sexy Voice and Robo, Detroit Metal City), opened at #1 at the Japanese box office during the February 9-10 weekend. It earned the equivalent of US$4.9 million on 398 screens. Although the first two Death Note films were based on Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ooba's manga of the same name, Hideo Nakata (Ringu, Dark Water) directed this film off a standalone story about the genius detective "L." No other anime/manga films appeared in the top ten list this past weekend.

No anime/manga films appeared in the top ten list during the previous weekend of February 2–3 either, although Takuji Kitamura's Negative Happy Chain Saw Edge appeared at #21 in its third weekend. This adaptation of a light novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto (Welcome to the N.H.K.) dropped from #17, but earned the equivalent of US$30,000 to add to its gross-to-date of US$420,522 (Box Office Mojo). Junichi Saiki (Panda no Pom) has been serializing a manga version in Kadokawa's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine since the December 2007 issue. Always Zoku San-chōme no Yūhi (Always: Sunset on Third Street 2) dropped from #18 to #23 in its 14th weekend. Takashi Yamazaki's second film based on Ryōhei Saigan's Sanchoume no Yuuhi - Yuuyake no Uta manga took in US$29,463 for a US$42,235,940 total haul. The #1 movie that weekend was Kagehinata ni saku, Yūichirō Hirakawa's adaptation of Hitori Gekidan's short story collection.

Source: Goo, Hollywood Reporter

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