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Japanese Box Office, July 16-17

This year's Pokémon anime film project opened at #2, even though two separate, feature-length Pokémon anime films actually opened on July 16. Moviegoers spent 386,201,950 yen (about US$4.934 million) to watch Gekijōban Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Victini to Kuroki Eiyū Zekrom 368,793 times on 351 screens over the three-day holiday weekend. They also spent 440,104,850 yen (US$5.624 million) to watch Gekijōban Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Victini to Shiroki Eiyū Reshiram 420,347 times. Combined, the two Pokémon films earned 826,306,800 yen (US$10.558 million) and was seen 789,140 times.

Kokuriko-Zaka Kara, Goro Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's anime adaptation of Chizuru Takahashi and Tetsurō Sayama's shōjo coming-of-age manga, opened with 587,337,400 yen (US$7.505 million) and was seen 445,269 times on 457 screens over its first three days. It earned the equivalent of US$4,794,478 on its first two days. If this year's two Pokémon films were counted separately, Kokuriko-Zaka Kara would have ranked above both of them instead of ranking #3.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, the second anime film inspired by Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga, dropped from #5 to #7 in its third weekend on Kogyo Tsushinsha's box office chart, while it dropped from #4 to #6 on Box Office Mojo's chart. It earned the equivalent of US$569,303 on 90 screens for a new total of US$4,967,629.

Soreike! Anpanman: Sukue! Kokorin to Kiseki no Hoshi stayed at #10 in its third weekend. It took in US$322,432 on 132 screens for a gross-to-date of US$1,888,226.

The live-action film adaptation of Ai Yazawa's Paradise Kiss manga slipped from #8 to #12 on Box Office Mojo. It made US$157,198 more on 123 screens for a total of US$16,788,726.

Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199-Hero Daikessen, the film that features all 199 heroes/rangers from the 35-year history of Super Sentai, fell from #9 to #13 in its sixth weekend. It made US$129,417 on 148 screens for a total of $10,758,185.

Hoshi Mamoru Inu and Moshi Kōkō Yakyū no Joshi Manager ga Drucker no "Management" o Yondara (Moshidora) are no longer listed in either chart.

The new #1 film in Japan is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 from Warner Brothers and director David Yates.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo, Oricon