News

Japanese Box Office, January 14-15

The anime adaptation of Mary Pope Osborne's American novel series Magic Tree House fell from No. 3 to No. 4 during its second weekend. Since 1992, American author Mary Pope Osborne has been writing the original children's books about Jack and Annie, two siblings who go on adventures throughout time with a mysterious tree house. The anime film is based on Ayana Amako's illustrations for the Japanese edition of the book series, as opposed to Salvatore Murdocca's illustrations for the original American edition. The film earned US$991,734 on 178 screens for a gross-to-date of US$3,388,436.

The 3D computer-animated film Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki (Friends: Naki of Monster Island) dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 during its fifth weekend. The live-action Space Battleship Yamato film's Takashi Yamazaki wrote and directed the film. SMAP band member Shingo Katori stars as Naki, a red oni (Japanese demon/ogre). Veteran voice actor Kouichi Yamadera (Cowboy Bebop's Spike, Evangelion's Kaji) plays a blue oni named Gunjō. The film earned US$834,264 on 334 screens for a new total of US$17,649,324.

Inazuma Eleven GO: Kyūkyoku no Kizuna Griffon (Ultimate Bond Griffon), the second film in the Inazuma Eleven soccer role-playing game franchise, dropped from No. 5 to No. 7 during its fourth weekend. The Inazuma Eleven GO storyline is set one decade after the first Inazuma Eleven storyline; the television anime premiered in May. The film is playing in stereoscopic 3D and traditional 2D. The film earned US$679,813 on 274 screens for a new total of US$13,603,826.

Eiga Kaibutsu-kun, the 3D live-action film adaptation of Fujiko Fujio A's Kaibutsu-kun supernatural action manga starring 30-year-old Arashi band member Satoshi Ohno, dropped from No. 6 to No. 8 during its eighth weekend. Ohno had starred in a live-action television series version and a spinoff television special in 2010. The film earned the equivalent of US$616,547 on 330 screens for a new total of US$39,333,288.

The Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: Movie Taisen Mega Max film dropped from No. 7 to No. 9 during its sixth weekend. The film features the first seven Kamen Riders as well as the casts of both the Kamen Rider Fourze and Kamen Rider OOO series. The film ranked at No. 10 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned the equivalent of US$458,068 on 290 screens for a gross-to-date of US$18,982,811.

Shion Sono's live-action adaptation of Minoru Furuya's Himizu psychological drama manga debuted at No. 9 on Box Office Mojo's chart (the film did not rank on Kogyo Tsushinsha's chart). 19-year-old actor Shōta Sometani (live-action Uso-tsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan, Always: Sunset on Third Street '64) plays Yūichi Sumida, a third-year middle school boy who longs for a normal life. A certain incident sets him on the descent into darkness. 16-year-old actress Fumi Nikaidō (Sono's Gama no Abura) portrays Keiko Chazawa, Sumida's classmate. The film earned US$458,263 on 79 screens.

Naoko Yamada and Kyoto Animation's K-ON! anime film fell from No. 11 to No. 13 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its seventh weekend. The film depicts the five female members of Sakuragaoka High School's light music club in a story not seen in the television series. The original television voice cast reprised their respective roles in the movie. The film earned US$374,544 on 126 screens for a gross-to-date of US$19,663,572.

The live-action film adaptation of Mikiya Mochizuki's police action manga Wild 7 directed by Umizaru's Eiichirō Hasumi dropped from No. 10 to No. 14 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its fourth weekend. In Mochizuki's original manga, a police bureaucrat forms a secret police team out of seven motorcycle-riding outlaws to judge and even execute criminals that the regular police cannot touch. Actor Eita (Nodame Cantabile, Azumi, Densha Otoko) plays Dairoku Hiba, the young leader of the Wild 7. The film earned US$327,293 on 292 screens for a gross-to-date of US$7,464,912.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo