News

Japanese Box Office, November 15-16

The live-action film adaptation of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Akeji Fujimura's Kami-sama no Iu Toori (As the Gods Will) survival-horror manga premiered this weekend at #1. Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Crows Zero) is directing and Sōta Fukushi (live-action Library Wars/Toshokan Sensō) will star in the film about a high school class that must participate in survival games. The film also ranked #1 on Box Office Mojo's Chart and earned 180,219,701 yen (US$1,530,002) on 318 screens.

The live-action film of Toriko Chiya's Clover manga fell from #3 to #4 in its third week. The film stars Emi Takei (Rurouni Kenshin's Kaoru) as Saya, a young office lady (OL) who's never had a romantic relationship because she never gave up on a boy she liked in middle school. KANJANI Eight band member Tadayoshi Ōkura will costar as (Papadol!, Otenki-oneesan, Dr. DMAT) as Susumu, Saya's masochistic supervisor who confesses his love. The filmalso ranked #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 69,795,105 yen (US$592,172) on 298 screens for a new total of 632,188,076 yen (US$5,363,755).

The live-action film of Rin Mikimoto's shōjo manga series Kin Kyori Renai (Close Range Love) fell from #5 to #7 in its sixth weekend. The film stars Tomohisa Yamashita as the tsundere teacher Haruka Sakurai and Nana Komatsu in her debut role as genius high school student Yuni Kururugi. The film also ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 29,361,844 yen (US$249,154) on 178 screens for a new total of 1,140,752,183 yen (US$9,680,024).

Rakuen Tsuihō - Expelled from Paradise, the anime film by director Seiji Mizushima, writer Gen Urobuchi, and the studios Toei Animation and Graphinica, opened this week at #9. The science fiction film stars Rie Kugimiya as the female protagonist, Angela, and Shinichirō Miki as Dingo a.k.a. Zarik Kajiwara. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart, but distribution company T-Joy reports that the film earned about 29,194,600 yen (US$247,700) on 13 screens

Eiga HappinessCharge PreCure! Ningyō no Kuni no Ballerina (HappinessCharge PreCure! The Movie: Ballerina of the Country of Dolls) fell from #8 to #10 in its sixth weekend. Yui Horie, Daisuke Ono, and Toshiyuki Morikawa guest star in a story where the Pretty Cures must save the Doll Kingdom. The film also ranked #10 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 18,443,411 yen (US$156,578) on 199 screens for a new total of 522,468,769 yen (US$4,435,577).

Stand By Me Doraemon, the 36th Doraemon film and franchise's first CGI film, fell from #7 to #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its 15th weekend and earned 19,495,241 yen (US$165,508) on 341 screens for a new total of 9,184,183,031 yen (US$77,933,763). 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.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo