News
2025 Doraemon Film Stays at #1, Mononoke Film Opens at #6
posted on by Adriana Hazra
The film opened in Japan on March 7. It sold 571,000 tickets for 702,817,200 yen (about US$4.78 million) in its first three days.
The story follows Doraemon, Nobita, and friends as they enter a painting into a medieval European world. In the painting, they meet Claire and Milo, children from the country of Artoria. They also encounter a small demon with wings named Chai. Together, they face a powerful enemy for a legendary jewel.
Yukiyo Teramoto (Doraemon series and movies) directed the film. Satoshi Itō (Doraemon series) wrote the script. The film commemorates the 45th anniversary of Doraemon movies. Aimyon performed the film's theme song "Sketch," as well as the film's insert song "Kimi no Yume o Kikinagara, Boku wa Waraeru Idea o!" (An Idea That Makes Me Smile Comes to Me, While I Listen to Your Dreams!).
The film stars Riko Fukumoto as Isaku and SixTONES idol group member Jesse as Keiya.
Keiichi Kobayashi directed the film. Yо̄suke Masaike wrote the screenplay. Yurika Koike was the producer. TOHO is distributing the film.
SixTONES performs the film's theme song "Barrier."
Hiroshi Kamiya reprises his role as the Medicine Seller. Other returning cast includes Haruka Tomatsu as Botan Ōtomo, Yōko Hikasa as Fuki Tokita, and Yūki Kaji as Saburōmaru Tokita.
Aina The End performs the film's theme song "Hana Musō."
Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), the Mononoke project's first film, premiered in Japan in July 2024. Netflix is streaming the film. The film was previously slated to open in 2023, but was delayed. Alongside the announcement of the delay in February 2023, the film's staff also announced that Takahiro Sakurai would no longer reprise the role of the Medicine Seller as originally planned. Kamiya instead voices the protagonist the Medicine Seller in the film.
The film has now surpassed the total all-time Japanese earnings of 1982 Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space anime film, which earned 2.3 billion yen (about US$14.88 million in current conversion) at the Japanese box office. This makes the Gundam GQuuuuuuX film the second highest-earning film in the Gundam franchise in Japan, with Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM holding the all-time high of 4,796,455,740 yen (about US$31.05 million) as of its initial run's final weekend in May 2024. If Gundam Seed FREEDOM's special edition screenings later in 2024 are included, that film has earned a cumulative total of 5.38 billion yen (about US$35.5 million).
The Gundam GQuuuuuuX film opened in Japan on January 17, and debuted at #1 at the Japanese box office in its opening weekend. It sold 352,500 tickets and earned 598,832,300 yen (about US$3.83 million) in its first three days.
The Gundam GQuuuuuuX film added immersive MX4D and 4DX screenings and also added "special footage" that teases the story after the film on February 22.
The film opened in Japan on February 14. The film sold 438,000 tickets and earned 616,191,900 yen (about US$4.08 million) in its first three days.
The film features an original story where Trillion Game has become one of the largest corporations in Japan and is set to take on its next venture with the opening of Japan's first casino resort.
The film features a returning cast, including Ren Meguro from idol group Snow Man as protagonist Haru Tennōji, and Hayato Sano as Manabu "Gaku" Taira. Mio Imada, Riko Fukumoto, and Kouji Kikkawa reprise their roles as Yurika Kokuryuu, Rinrin Takahashi, and Kazuki Kedouin, respectively. Other returning cast members include Kōsuke Suzuki as Tōru Hebishima, Kenjirō Tsuda as Kunugi, Terunosuke Takezai as Tadanori Nagase, Yoshitaka Hara as Shingo Sakura, Akari Akase as Mizuki, and Jun Kunimura as Kazuma Kokuryū.
Yoshiaki Murao returned to direct the film, and Daisuke Habara returned to write the script. Hideaki Kimura composed the music.
The film opened in theaters in Japan on January 24. The film ranked at #3 in its opening weekend. The film sold 160,000 tickets and earned 225,933,800 yen (about US$1.46 million) in its first three days.
Kento Yamazaki (live-action Alice in Borderland, Kingdom, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Orange, Hyou-ka, Your Lie in April) plays the protagonist Kurō Kumogakure, and Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One, Shin Kamen Rider, live-action Kakegurui, Saki, The Promised Neverland) plays the heroine Ayaka Noguchi. Yūichi Fukuda (live-action Gintama, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Saint Young Men, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. films) wrote and directed the film. Creepy Nuts performs the theme song "doppelgänger."
The live-action film of Karin Anzai's It Takes More than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love (Kao Dake ja Suki ni Narimasen) manga dropped off the top 10 in its second weekend.
The Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- movie, described as "Japan's first interactive film," left the top 10 again in its fourth weekend. The film still earned 87,724,400 yen (about US$587,100) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 621,492,900 yen (about US$4.15 million).
The Shinran Jinsei no Mokuteki film stayed at #1 in the mini-theater rankings in its third weekend.
Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2, link 3), comScore via KOFIC
