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Detective Conan Debuts at #2, Demon Slayer, Gintama, Poupelle, Pokémon Stay in Box Office's Top 10

The Detective Conan: The Scarlet Alibi (Meitantei Conan: Hiiro no Fuzai Shōmei) compilation film released in anticipation of the upcoming Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet (Meitantei Conan: Hiiro no Dangan) film opened at #2 at the Japanese box office. The film earned 251,886,500 yen (about US$2.38 million) in its first four days, and it sold 92,000 tickets and earned 126,468,400 yen (about US$1.19 million) over the weekend. (The film opened on Thursday, a holiday in Japan.)

The compilation film combines footage from various television anime episodes that center on the Akai family, and it will have a three-week limited theatrical run from February 11 to March 4. The ending of the compilation film contains a video "secret message from Shuichi Akai" that will lead up to The Scarlet Bullet film, as well as a new trailer for The Scarlet Bullet itself. The titular character Conan narrates the compilation in a newly recorded and edited audio track.

Meitantei Conan: Hiiro no Dangan is the 24th film in the franchise. The film was slated to open on April 17 last year, but was delayed from its original date due to concerns about the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The film will now open on April 16 this year and have a simultaneous release in 22 countries and territories outside of Japan.

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train dropped to #3 in its 18th weekend. The film sold 77,000 tickets over the weekend and earned 120,849,500 yen (about US$1.14 million) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 27.27 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 37,488,979,550 yen (about US$355.4 million).

After 12 consecutive weeks at #1 in the box office in Japan, the film dropped to #2 during the January 9-10 weekend, its 13th weekend. During that weekend, the film sold 425,000 tickets and earned 677,783,450 yen (about US$6.57 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film returned to the #1 spot in its 14th weekend.

The film has surpassed Hayao Miyazaki's 2002 Spirited Away, its last rival for all-time highest earnings in Japanese box office history. (Spirited Away earned 30.8 billion yen in its original run, but has since earned a total of 31.68 billion yen after this summer's revival screenings.) The Demon Slayer film is now also at least the second highest-earning anime film of all time worldwide, topping your name.'s worldwide US$357,986,087 earnings.

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train began screening in 38 IMAX theaters in Japan on October 16. The film had the highest opening weekend globally for the October 16-18 weekend. The film sold 3,424,930 tickets and earned 4,623,117,450 yen (about US$43.85 million) in Japan in its first three days. The film sold 910,507 tickets and earned over 1,268,724,700 yen (about US$12.03 million) on its opening day alone, making it the highest weekday opening day in Japan ever. Mugen Train began holding immersive MX4D and 4DX screenings on Saturday, December 26.

The main staff members of the previous television anime returned for the sequel film. TOHO and Aniplex are handling the film's distribution in Japan. Funimation and Aniplex of America will screen the film in theaters in North America in early 2021.

Gintama: The Final, the new anime film of Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga, dropped from #5 to #7 in its sixth weekend. The film earned 63,721,000 yen (about US$604,100) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.11 million tickets and has earned a cumulative total of 1,553,207,900 yen (about US$14.72 million).

The film opened at #1 in Japan on January 8 and ended Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train's 12 consecutive weekends at the top of the Japanese box office. The film is based on the finale of the original manga, combined with new story elements.

The manga also inspired a new net anime special titled Gintama The Semi-Final with a story that will be a two-episode prequel to the film. The net anime premiered exclusively in Japan on the online dTV service on January 15. The film also has a novel by Mirei Miyamoto that shipped on January 8.

Sorachi's original "science-fiction period-drama comedy" manga began in 2003 and ended in June 2019 with over 55 million copies in circulation. The latest anime series premiered in July 2018. The manga has also inspired various original video anime (OVA), event anime, two live-action films, and two live-action net spinoffs. Viz Media published the manga's first 23 volumes in English.

Studio 4°C's anime film of Akihiro Nishino's Poupelle of Chimney Town (Entotsu-chō no Poupelle) picture book dropped from #4 to #8 in its eighth weekend. The film earned 49,354,850 yen (about US$467,900) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.49 million tickets and has earned a cumulative total of 2,070,369,100 yen (about US$19.62 million).

The film ranked at #4 and earned 322,998,700 (about US$3.13 million) in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on December 25.

Yusuke Hirota (CGI director for Berserk films, Harmony) directed the film, with Nishino serving as production supervisor, original creator, and writer, while Atsuko Fukushima (Genius Party, Robot Carnival) designed the characters.

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (Gekijōban Pocket Monster Koko), the 23rd anime film in the Pokémon franchise, dropped from #7 to #9 in its sixth weekend. The film earned 30,585,300 yen (about US$289,900) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.36 million tickets and has earned a cumulative total of 1,597,459,100 yen (about US$15.14 million)

The film ranked at #2 and earned 378,195,750 yen (about US$3.66 million) in its opening weekend. The film opened on December 25 in Japan. TOHO had originally planned to open the film earlier last year on July 10, but the staff delayed the film due to the spread of COVID-19.

The film will then open in the West in 2021.

Tetsuo Yajima returned from 2018's Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us film at OLM, and co-wrote the film's script with Pokémon series writer Atsuhiro Tomioka.

Kadokawa's 4K HDR screening of the 1996 Gamera 2: Advent of Legion film ranked at #1 in the mini-theater ranking in its opening weekend. The new screening opened on February 11.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC