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Japanese Box Office, September 7-8

Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) anime film stayed at #1 during its eighth weekend. The film centers on Jirō Horikoshi (played by Evangelion director Hideaki Anno), the designer of Japan's famed Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane of World War II. The film earned 455,623,244 yen (US$4,612,729) on 454 screens for a new total of 9,850,558,073 yen (US$99,510,337).

Toei Animation and Shinji Aramaki's CG-animated Space Pirate Captain Harlock film opened at #2. The film remakes the classic anime Space Pirate Captain Harlock with Toei Animation's highest production budget ever at the equivalent of more than 30 million U.S. dollars. Shun Oguri and Haruma Miura star as the title pirate and the new character Yama, respectively. The film earned 133,929,210 yen (US$1,355,899) on 578 screens.

The Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. (anohana) film fell from #3 to #4 in its second weekend. The film retells the anohana story from the character Menma's point of view with a new epilogue. The film ranked at #5 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 107,883,357 yen (US$1,092,211) on 64 screens for a total of 450,210,008 yen (US$4,548,021).

The live-action Sadako 3D 2 film rose from #6 to #5 in its second weekend. The film ranked at #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 110,971,582 yen (US$1,121,034) on 459 screens for a new total of 410,763,585 yen (US$4,149,533).

The live-action Gatchaman film directed by Toya Sato (live-action Grave of the Fireflies, Sexy Voice and Robo, Kaiji, Gokusen) fell from #8 to #12 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its third weekend. Tori Matsuzaka (.hack//The Movie, live-action Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Kamen Rider Decade) stars in the film as Ken, the head of the eponymous team. Gō Ayano (second-in-command Jō), Ayame Gōriki (explosive yoyo-wielding Jun), Tatsuomi Hamada (youngest member Jinpei), and Ryōhei Suzuki (main pilot Ryū) round out the cast. The film earned 33,452,281 yen (US$338,670) on 307 screens for a new total of 390,822,249 yen (US$3,956,684).

The Pokémon the Movie: ExtremeSpeed Genesect film fell from #13 to #15 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its ninth weekend. Kunihiko Yuyama's feature film is billed as the final chapter of Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! (Pokémon: Black and White). It features a confrontation between the legendary Pokémon ExtremeSpeed Red Genesect and Mewtwo, who returns in this installment in an alternate form. The film earned 22,971,203 yen (US$232,560) on 345 screens for a new total of 3,062,219,686 yen (US$31,001,912).

The Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land and Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger: Gaburincho of Music films fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in their sixth weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo