News

Japanese Box Office, September 14-15

Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) anime film fell from #1 to #2 during its ninth 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 324,871,927 yen (US$3,271,297) on 454 screens for a new total of 10,584,734,854 yen (US$106,582,987).

Warner Japan's remake of Clint Eastwood's 1992 Unforgiven film starting Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception) debuted at #4. The film earned 143,653,992 yen (US$1,446,523) on 327 screens.

The Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. (anohana) film fell from #4 to #5 in its third weekend. The film retells the anohana story from the character Menma's point of view with a new epilogue. The film earned 73,243,224 yen (US$737,522) on 64 screens for a total of 611,374,798 yen (US$6,156,238).

Toei Animation and Shinji Aramaki's CG-animated Space Pirate Captain Harlock film fell from #2 to #7 in its second weekend. 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 ranked at #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 63,473,155 yen (US$639,142) on 570 screens for a new total of 296,819,916 yen (US$2,988,828).

The live-action Sadako 3D 2 film fell from #5 to #8 in its third weekend. The film ranked at #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 63,549,066 yen (US$639,907) on 428 screens for a new total of 540,695,360 yen (US$5,444,531).

The Takanashi Rikka • Kai ~Gekijō-ban Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai!~ film opened at #9. The film is a compilation of the first television season — only as seen from the character Rikka's eyes and reconstructed with new elements to make it interesting for the audience. Box Office Mojo did not list the film on its chart.

The second installment in the Code Geass: Akito the Exiled anime project opened at #10. The story follows a side story set in the early summer of Revolution Year 228, around the same time that Lelouch takes on his "Zero" identity and starts to build his “Black Knights” rebellion army. This anime focuses on the invasion of the Euro Universe (E.U.) by the Holy Britannian Empire and special division “Wyvern” Knightmare corps. These corps are comprised entirely of Japanese teenagers and commanded by Layla Malkal (Maaya Sakamoto), a former Britannian Aristocrat. The story follows Akito Hyuuga (Miyu Irino) as he and the rest of the Wyvern corps are plunged into the battlefield with a 5% chance of survival. Box Office Mojo did not list the film on its chart.

The live-action Gatchaman film directed by Tōya Satō fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in its fourth weekend. The Pokémon the Movie: ExtremeSpeed Genesect film also fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in its 10th weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo