News
Japanese Box Office, June 23-24
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The live-action film adaptation of Satoru Hiura's women's romance manga Hotaru no Hikari - It's Only Little Light in My Life stayed at No. 2 during its third weekend. The film is the sequel to the two live-action Hotaru no Hikari television series. Haruka Ayase and Naohito Fujiki are both reprising their roles in the film. The manga follows a 27-year-old office worker Hotaru (Ayase) who is uninterested in love. Hotaru's situation gets complicated as she suddenly finds herself living with her boss, Seiichi Takano (Fujiki). In the film's story, Hotaru and Takano travel to Italy. The film earned US$1,947,107 on 316 screens for a new total of US$15,298,486.
Hideki Takeuchi's live-action Thermae Romae film stayed at No. 4 in its ninth weekend. Based on Mari Yamazaki's manga, the story follows Roman architect Lucius Modestus (Hiroshi Abe), who designs bath-houses in ancient Rome. One day he's sucked into modern-day Japan. Able to travel back and forth in between worlds, Lucius uses Japanese ideas to improve the Roman baths he builds in the past. The film grossed US$1,138,749 on 320 screens for a total of US$69,643,005.
The second film in the Berserk film trilogy, Berserk Ōgon Jidai-Hen II: Doldrey Kōryaku (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Doldrey War), opened at No. 9. Studio 4°C's anime film trilogy adapts Kentarō Miura's Berserk manga. The film focuses on Guts (Hiroaki Iwanaga) and The Band of the Hawk's epic battle alongside the Kingdom of Midland to retake Doldrey Castle from the Chuder Empire. The film ranked at No. 8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned US$355,767 on 93 screens.
The anime film adaptation of Hiro Arikawa's Library War light novels, Toshokan Sensō: Kakumei no Tsubasa (Library War: The Wings of Revolution), rose from No. 10 to No. 9 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its second weekend. The film's main cast are reprising their roles from the 2008 television anime series. Director Takayuki Hamana (Appleseed XIII, The Beast Player Erin, The Prince of Tennis), scripwriter Takeshi Konuta, original character designer Sukumo Adabana, and the animation studio Production I.G are also returning from the series. The film earned US$350,747 on 30 screens for a gross-to-date of US$1,149,049.
The live-action 3D film based on Sadako, the iconic ghost of the horror film Ring (Ringu), fell from No. 9 to No. 13 in its seventh weekend. In the film, Sadako is the vengeful ghost of the daughter of a famous psychic. She is connected to a cursed video tape featuring a collection of disturbing images; those who watch the tape are killed one week later. Koji Suzuki, the author of the original novel series that inspired the franchise, wrote a new original story for the film. The film earned US$234,542 on 164 screens for a gross-to-date of US$16,862,420.
The live-action film adaptation of Bisco Hatori's Ouran High School Host Club romantic comedy manga was not ranked on Box Office Mojo's chart, but the website listed that the film earned US$769 on two screens during its 15th weekend for a new total of US$2,821,766.
The live-action Space Brothers (Uchū Kyōdai) film, Takashi Miike's Ai to Makoto live-action film, and the Arakawa Under the Bridge live-action film are no longer listed on Box Office Mojo's chart.
Sources: Kogyo Tsunshinsha, Box Office Mojo
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, June 16-17
