News

Japanese Box Office, April 19-20

The 18th Detective Conan film, Detective Conan: Ijigen no Sniper (Detective Conan: Sniper From Another Dimension), opened this week at #1. The film, revolves around a sniping incident case in Tokyo, features the appearance of Shuichi Akai, Subaru Okiya, and FBI agent Jodie Starling. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart.

Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Gachinko! Gyakushū no Robo Tō-chan (Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Fight! Robo-Dad's Counterattack) opened this week at #3. In the kindergartner "Shin-chan's" 22nd movie, his father comes back from a massage with the body of a robot, a form that is involved in a conspiracy of restless Japanese dads. The film guest stars Emi Takei and Crocket and features a theme song by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart.

Crows Explode, the third live-action film inspired by Hiroshi Takahashi's Crows fighting manga,fell from #2 to #5 in its second week. The film introduces the new cast at Suzuran Boys' High School after Genji Takiya and Tamao Serizawa have graduated. Masahiro Higashide (live-action xxxHOLiC) plays the protagonist — a transfer student named Kaburagi "Desperado" — and Taichi Saotome (Prince of Tennis: Eikoku-shiki Teikyū-jō Kessen!) plays first-year student Ryōhei "Joker" Kagami, who aims to reach the top of the Suzuran pecking order. The film ranked #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 154,108,303 yen (US$1,508,874) on 307 screens for a new total of 640,034,254 yen (US$6,266,575).

The live-action film adaptation of Ayu Watanabe's L DK shōjo manga fell from #5 to #6 in its second weekend. The story follows Aoi (Ayame Gōriki), a high school girl who lives by herself. Through one circumstance after another, she ends up living under the same roof with the "prince" of her school, Shūsei (Kento Yamazaki). (The manga's title is a wordplay on "LDK," the abbreviation for "living room, dining room, kitchen" in Japanese apartment ads.) The film ranked #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 64,930,735 yen (US$635,737) on 194 screens for a new total of 176,661,077 yen (US$1,729,689).

The Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider Kamen Rider War feat. Super Sentai film fell from #4 to #7 in its fourth weekend. The film features more than 30 Riders, including 15 Showa-era Riders led by Kamen Rider 1 and 15 Heisei-era Riders such as those from the ongoing Kamen Rider Gaim television series. Hiroshi Fujioka, who played the original Kamen Rider 1, returned to the part after 38 years. The film ranked #5 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 57,298,569 yen (US$561,010) on 293 screens for a new total of 860,311,848 yen (US$8,423,313).

Eiga Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Daimakyō - Peko to 5-nin no Tankentai (Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita's Great Demon ~Peko and the Exploration Party of Five~ fell from #3 to #8 in its seventh weekend. The film remakes the 1982 film Doraemon: Nobita's Great Demon, which was written by original Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, and follows the heroes of the Doraemon television series as they go on an adventure to help a dog prince return to his kingdom, deep within an unexplored land. The film ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 50,396,434 yen (US$493,431) on 337 screens for a new total of 3,397,639,267 yen (US$33,266,286).

Eiga Precure All Stars New Stage 3: Eien no Tomodachi ranked #12 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its sixth weekend and earned 16,402,166 yen (US$160,594) on 202 screens for a new total of 872,755,651 yen (US$8,545,151). In the story, the world of dreams is threatened, so nine teams of Precure girls from the franchise's different television anime series unite to defend everyone's dreams. The characters from the newest series, HappinessCharge PreCure!, feature prominently.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo