News
Japanese Box Office, May 17-18
posted on by Karen Ressler
Thermae Romae II, the second live-action film adaptation of Mari Yamazaki's Thermae Romae manga, remained at #2 in its fourth weekend. Hiroshi Abe is returning as the time-travelling bath architect Lucius Modestus along with Masachika Ichimura as Hadrian, Kazuki Kitamura as Ceionius, Kai, Shishido as Antonius, and Aya Ueto as Mami Yamakoshi. The film also ranked #2 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 210,266,678 yen (US$2,062,085) on 338 screens for a new total of 3,459,500,489 yen (US$33,927,321).
The seventh and final volume of Mobile Suit Gundam UC opened this week at #3. The 90-minute episode, titled "Niji no Kanata ni" (Over the Rainbow), concludes the series that adapts Harutoshi Fukui's Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn novels. The series began in 2010 and also has an English dub. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart, but Oricon reports that the film earned 157,182,200 yen (US$1,551,00) on 35 screens.
The 18th Detective Conan film, Detective Conan: Ijigen no Sniper (Detective Conan: Sniper From Another Dimension), fell from #3 to #4 in its fifth weekend. The film, revolves around a sniping incident case in Tokyo, and features the appearance of Shuichi Akai, Subaru Okiya, and FBI agent Jodie Starling. The film ranked #5 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 124,346,258 yen (US$1,219,463) on 339 screens for a new total of 3,643,113,559 yen (US$35,728,014).
Ushijima the Loan Shark Part 2, the second live-action film adaptation of Shohei Manabe's Ushijima the Loan Shark (Yamikin Ushijima-kun) manga series opened this week at #5. Takayuki Yamada reprises his lead role from the 2010 live-action television series and 2012 film about human drama in the black market world, as seen through the eyes of the titular loan shark. The film ranked #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 132,851,120 yen (US$1,302,870) on 156 screens.
Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Gachinko! Gyakushū no Robo Tō-chan (Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Fight! Robo-Dad's Counterattack) fell from #7 to #9 in its fifth weekend. 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 also ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 74,326,202 yen (US$728,917) on 326 screens for a new total of 1,544,562,406 yen (US$15,147,523).
Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, May 10-11
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