News

Japanese Box Office, August 9-10

Stand By Me Doraemon, the 36th Doraemon film and franchise's first CGI film, opened this weekend at #1. Satoshi Tsumabuki, who previously played 30-year-old Nobita in a series of live-action Toyota car commercials, also plays Nobita as a young man in the film. The film also ranked #1 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 767,022,575 yen (US$7,491,226) on 319 screens over the weekend for a new total of 987,967,360 yen (US$9,645,110).

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, fell from #1 to #2 in its second weekend. The sequels adapt the Kyoto arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga, with Takeru Satoh returning as Kenshin Himura and Tatsuya Fujiwara (live-action Death Note) playing the antagonist Makoto Shishio. The film ranked #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 439,917,105 yen (US$4,299,173) on 438 screens for a total of 1,948,829,133 yen (US$19,030,804).

Studio Ghibli's newest film When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Marnie) stayed at #5 in its fourth weekend. The film adapts Joan G. Robinson's classic English children's novel of the same name. In his second film, director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (2010's The Secret World of Arrietty) is shifting the setting from the novel's Great Britain to a Japanese village on the shores of Hokkaido. The film ranked #6 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 170,856,651 yen (US$1,669,729) on 461 screens for a new total of 2,061,905,790 yen (US$20,135,026).

Pocket Monster XY: Hakai no Mayu (Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction) fell from #4 to #6 in its fourth weekend. The film guest-stars Marika Matsumoto, Japanese pro soccer player Atsuto Uchida, Yoshiko Mita, Kouichi Yamadera, Shoko Nakagawa, Rika Adachi, and comedian duo Nakagawa-ke. In the film's story, a country called the Diamond Empire falls into chaos when the legendary Pokémon Diancie loses her power to control the Holy Diamond, the empire's power source, and so she enlists the help of Ash and his friends. The film ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 141,101,660 yen (US$1,377,893) on 357 screens for a new total of 1,878,072,957 (US$18,342,894).

Gareth Edwards' Godzilla remake film fell from #2 to #7 in its third weekend. The film, which opened in the United States in May, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Richard T. Jones, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins. The film also ranked #5 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 183,733,679 yen (US$1,794,503) over the weekend on 427 screens for a new total of 2,053,513,733 yen (US$20,053,075).

Uchū Kyōdai #0 (Space Brothers #0, pronounced "Number Zero"), the first Space Brothers anime film, opened this weekend at #8. The character Brian Jay, a legendary astronaut in both Koyama's original manga and the television anime, will play an integral role in the film. The film will depict for the first time the "true reason" and the "starting point" behind Mutta and Hibito's goal of going to space. The film will also give more details on the other "Space Brothers" in the series: Eddie and Brian Jay. The film also ranked #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 78,592,380 yen (US$767,264) on 210 screens.

The double feature consisting of Gekijō-ban Kamen Rider Gaim Soccer Daisakusen! Kogane no Kajitsu Sōdatsuhai! (Kamen Rider Gaim the Movie: The Great Soccer Battle! The Golden Fruit Cup Struggle!) and Ressha Sentai TōQGer The Movie: Galaxy Line fell from #6 to #9 in its fourth weekend. The films are based on the latest installments in the live-action Kamen Rider and Super Sentai television franchises, respectively. The Kamen Rider Gaim film includes participation from Japan's professional J.League soccer players and the Ressha Sentai TōQGer film follows the Safari Ressha who run the Galaxy Line, their conductor named Lady, and the Shadow Line member pursuing them. The film also ranked #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 50,432,520 yen (US$492,486) on 310 screens for a new total of 640,393,788 yen (US$6,253,605).

The live-action film adaptation of Kanae Hazuki's Suki-tte Ii na yo (Say, "I Love You".) fell from #7 to #10 in its fifth weekend. The story of first love centers around Mei Tachibana (Haruna Kawaguchi), a girl who has never made friends, and Yamato Kurosawa (Sōta Fukushi), the school's most popular boy. British boy band One Direction performed the film's theme song. The film ranked #11 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 32,811,006 yen (US$320,453) on 246 screens for a new total of 911,380,904 yen (US$8,899,862).

Eight Rangers 2 fell from #7 to #10 on Box Office Mojo's Chart in its third weekend and earned 32,822,024 yen (US$320,515) on 160 screens for a new total of 427,087,103 yen (US$4,171,304). Former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda will play the heroine in this sequel to the 2012 Super Sentai parody film starring boy band KANJANI 8 as the Eight Rangers.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo