News

Japanese Box Office, September 1-2

Keishi Ōtomo's live-action film adaptation of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga stayed at No. 1 during its second weekend. Takeru Satoh (Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies, Beck) stars in the film's titular role, and Emi Takei (Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu, For Love's Sake/Ai to Makoto) plays the heroine Kaoru Kamiya. Yuu Aoi (Hana and Alice, Honey and Clover) plays Megumi Takani, Munetaka Aoki (The Last Message Umizaru, live-action The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) plays Sanosuke Sagara, and Taketo Tanaka plays Yahiko Myōjin. Yosuke Eguchi (Shonan Bakusozoku and Tokyo Love Story) as Hajime Saitō, Kouji Kikkawa (Let's Dance With Papa) as Jine Udō, and Teruyuki Kagawa (From Up on Poppy Hill, 20th Century Boys) as Kanryū Takeda round out the cast. The film earned US$5,186,091 on 327 screens for a gross total of US$18,075,223.

The live-action film adaptation of Fujio Akatsuka's shōjo comedy manga Himitsu no Akko-chan debuted at No. 5. In the manga, the title fifth-grader Akko-chan receives a magical compact from the mirror spirit. With the compact, Akko-chan can cast spells and transform herself into anything or anyone she wishes, and she uses the power to help others. In the film's updated romantic fantasy story, Akko-chan (Socrates in Love and Ichi's Haruka Ayase) begins as a 22-year-old woman whose life is transformed when she is offered a magical compact. Masaki Okada (Otomen, Mahō Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto, Space Bros./Uchū Kyōdai) will play the love interest, an "elite salaryman" at a cosmetics company. Over the course of the film, Akko-chan transforms into a figure skater, an airline cabin attendant, an office lady, a female police officer, a motorcycle racer, and more. The film earned US$1,807,303 on 217 screens.

Mamoru Hosoda's Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children) film fell from No. 5 to No. 6 during its seventh 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$1,775,166 on 381 screens for a new total of US$48,039,794.

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, fell from No. 6 to No. 7 during its eighth weekend. The film adapts the "largest sea disaster" from the original manga: the water landing of a jumbo jet. The film earned US$1,740,990 on 450 screens for a gross-to-date of US$88,222,356.

Gekijōban Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Kyurem Vs Seikenshi Keldeo fell from No. 8 to No. 10 in its eighth 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 ranked at No. 11 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned US$689,615 on 357 screens for a new total of US$43,589,581.

The live-action film adaption of Shohei Manabe's Ushijima the Loan Shark (Yamikin Ushijima-kun) manga fell from No. 7 to No. 10 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its second weekend. Takayuki Yamada (Train Man, Crying Out Love in the Center of the World, Crows Zero, Gantz, 13 Assassins) reprises his lead role from the 2010 live-action television series version of the manga. In the film, Ushijima participates in a celebrity event to collect on a debt and meets an event leader named Jun. AKB48 member Yuko Oshima and Arakawa Under the Bridge's Kento Hayashi also star in the film. The film earned US$772,698 on 137 screens for a new total of US$2,805,824.

The Kamen Rider Fourze the Movie: Minna de Uchū Kitā! (Kamen Rider Fourze the Movie: Everyone, Space Is Here!) and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters the Movie: Tokyo Enetower o Mamore! (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters the Movie: Protect the Tokyo Enetower!) films fell from No. 9 to No. 12 during their fifth weekend. The live-action special-effects films earned US$603,543 on 305 screens for a gross-to-date of US$15,533,910.

Shinji Aramaki's Starship Troopers: Invasion CG film returned to Box Office Mojo's chart to earn $347 on one screen in its seventh weekend at No. 18 for a new total of US$190,817.

The Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie film fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in its sixth weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsunshinsha, Box Office Mojo