News

Japanese Box Office, May 25-26

Meitantei Conan: Zekkai no Private Eye (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea), the 17th Detective Conan (Case Closed) film, stayed at #2 during its sixth weekend. The movie is set on a state-of-the art Aegis vessel with the full cooperation of Japan's real-life Ministry of Defense and Maritime Self-Defense Force. The corpse of a Self-Defense Force member has been found — minus the left arm — and a spy has infiltrated the Aegis vessel. The heroine Ran is put in jeopardy, and Conan is forced to stand up against the dangerous Spy "X." Kobun Shizuno is returning from the last few Detective Conan films to direct the latest one at TMS and V1 Studio. The television anime's cast members are reprising their respective roles. The film ranked at #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 82,232,444 yen (US$821,666) on 344 screens for a new total of 3,390,219,560 yen (US$33,875,073).

Kenchō Omotenashi-ka, the live-action film based on a novel by Library War/Toshokan Sensō author Hiro Arikawa, fell from #4 to #5 during its third weekend. The novel revolves around a prefectural office's newly-established hospitality division, and new member Fumitaka (played by Ryo Nishikido ) is charged with planning area promotion. However, Fumitaka quickly realizes he must struggle through a lot of red tape to be able to accomplish his goals. The film ranked at #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 60,876,441 yen (US$608,277) on 293 screens for a new total of 445,222,547 yen (US$4,448,663).

The live-action film adaptation of Hiro Arikawa Toshokan Sensō/Library Wars novels stayed at #7 during its fifth weekend. The film stars V6 idol group member Junichi Okada (Tales from Earthsea, From Up On Poppy Hill) as Atsushi Dōjō, and Nana Eikura (Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru) as Iku Kasahara. Shinsuke Sato (Gantz, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, The Princess Blade, Sand Chronicles) directed the film. The film ranked at #6 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 63,082,835 yen (US$630,323) on 311 screens for a new total of 1,475,285,751 yen (US$14,741,055).

This year's Crayon Shin-chan film, Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Bakauma—! B-Kyū Gourmet Survival!!, stayed at #8 in its sixth weekend. In the story, B-grade cuisine is in danger of being wiped out without a special sauce, and it is up to the mischievous kindergartener Shin-chan to ferry the sauce to safety. Masakazu Hashimoto (Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, Tari Tari) is directing his first Crayon Shin-chan movie after storyboarding 2008's Crayon Shin-chan: Chō Arashi o Yobu Kinpoko no Yūsha and 2011's Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi o Yobu Ōgon no Spy Daisakusen. Yoshio Urasawa (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Fushigi Yugi) and Kimiko Ueno (Kuromajyo-san ga Tōru!!) wrote the screenplay. The film ranked at #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 43,894,357 yen (US$438,592) on 330 screens for a new total of 1,190,621,203 yen (US$11,896,687).

The live-action Kamen Rider x Super Sentai x Uchū Keiji Super Hero Taisen Z film fell from #10 to #11 during its fifth weekend. The film earned 29,058,035 yen (US$290,347) on 288 screens for a new total of 902,763,467 yen (US$9,020,412).

The anime film adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura's Saint Young Men manga fell from #11 to #12 during its third weekend. The anime film and Nakamura's original manga imagine if the Enlightened One Buddha (voiced by actor Gen Hoshino) and the Son of God Jesus (SAKEROCK band leader Mirai Moriyama) shared a low-rent apartment in Tokyo's Tachikawa area. The two holy beings have landed on Earth and now experience the mortal life in Japan. Noriko Takao (episode director on Clannad, K-ON!, Lucky Star) is directing at A-1 Pictures off a screenplay by Rika Nezu (live-action Kimi ni Todoke, live-action Absolute Boyfriend). The film earned 27,497,830 yen (US$274,758) on 75 screens for a new total of 191,109,636 yen (US$1,909,567).

The Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu film fell from #12 to #14 during its sixth weekend. The film has an original story set after the "true end" of the earlier story. Kanji Wakabayashi is directing the film with supervisor Tarou Deji and chief directors Takuya Satō and Hiroshi Hamasaki. Tatsuya Matsubara and Naotaka Hayashi are supervising the story scenario, and Jukki Hanada is writing the screenplay. Kyuuta Sakai is once again adapting huke's original character designs for anime and overseeing the animation process at WHITE FOX. The main cast is also returning. The film earned 18,738,555 yen (US$187,235) on 48 screens for a new total of 490,281,237 yen (US$4,898,890).

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo