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Japanese Box Office, August 23-24

posted on by Karen Ressler
1st new Initial D anime film opens

Stand By Me Doraemon, the 36th Doraemon film and franchise's first CGI film, stayed at #1 in its third weekend. 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. The film also ranked #1 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 486,536,293 yen (US$4,674,865) on 319 screens for a new total of 4,632,914,572 yen (US$44,515,174).

The live-action adaptation of Taku Tsumugi's Hot Road shōjo manga stayed at #2 in its second weekend. The manga revolves around Kazuki Miyaichi (Rena Nōnen), a girl who feels that she does not receive any love from her mother (Yoshino Kimura). As she carries anxiety about not being needed by anyone, she begins to feel attracted to a juvenile delinquent named Hiroshi Haruyama (Hiroomi Tosaka). Ryōhei Suzuki also stars as Tōru Tamami, the leader of the Nights gang. The film also ranked #2 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 232,588,964 yen (US$2,234,822) on 302 screens for a new total of 1,096,006,517 yen (US$10,530,935).

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film,stayed at #3 in its fourth weekend. The sequels adapt the Kyoto arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga, with Takeru Satoh returning as Kenshin Himura and Tatsuya Fujiwara (live-action Death Note) playing the antagonist Makoto Shishio. The film also ranked #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 222,826,719 yen (US$2,141,022) on 348 screens for a total of 3,838,921,918 yen (US$36,886,128).

Studio Ghibli's newest film When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Marnie) stayed at #6 in its sixth weekend. The film adapts Joan G. Robinson's classic English children's novel of the same name. In his second film, director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (2010's The Secret World of Arrietty) is shifting the setting from the novel's Great Britain to a Japanese village on the shores of Hokkaido. The film ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 91,281,977 yen (US$877,079) on 461 screens for a new total of 2,985,918,396 yen (US$28,690,077).

Pocket Monster XY: Hakai no Mayu (Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction) stayed at #8 in its sixth weekend. The film guest-stars Marika Matsumoto, Japanese pro soccer player Atsuto Uchida, Yoshiko Mita, Kouichi Yamadera, Shōko Nakagawa, Rika Adachi, and comedian duo Nakagawa-ke. In the film's story, a country called the Diamond Empire falls into chaos when the legendary Pokémon Diancie loses her power to control the Holy Diamond, the empire's power source, and so she enlists the help of Ash and his friends. The film ranked #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 75,024,317 yen (US$720,868) on 357 screens for a new total of 2,568,943,968 (US$24,683,595).

Gareth Edwards' Godzilla fellfrom #7 to #9 in its fifth weekend. The film, which opened in the United States in May, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Richard T. Jones, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins. The film ranked #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 81,779,220 yen (US$785,244) on 427 screens for a new total of 2,891,674,283 yen (US$27,760,536).

Shin Gekijō-ban Initial D Legend 1 -Kakusei- (New Initial D: The Movie Legend 1: Awakening) opened this weekend at #11 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 31,176,831 yen (US$299,360) on 30 screens. The film is the first in a planned trilogy that retells the beginning of the story from Shuuichi Shigeno's original car-racing manga. Mamoru Miyano stars as high school student Takumi Fujiwara, whose precise driving skills and his father's modified Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno make him the best amateur road racer on Mt. Akina's highway.

The double feature consisting of Gekijō-ban Kamen Rider Gaim Soccer Daisakusen! Kogane no Kajitsu Sōdatsuhai! (Kamen Rider Gaim the Movie: The Great Soccer Battle! The Golden Fruit Cup Struggle!) and Ressha Sentai TōQGer The Movie: Galaxy Line rose to #12 on Box Office Mojo's Chart in its sixth weekend and earned 22,204,482 yen (US$213,209) on 309 screens for a new total of 834,055,373 yen (US$8,007,065). The films are based on the latest installments in the live-action Kamen Rider and Super Sentai television franchises, respectively. The Kamen Rider Gaim film includes participation from Japan's professional J.League soccer players and the Ressha Sentai TōQGer film follows the Safari Ressha who run the Galaxy Line, their conductor named Lady, and the Shadow Line member pursuing them.

Uchū Kyōdai #0 (Space Brothers #0, pronounced "Number Zero"), the first Space Brothers anime film, fell from #9 to #13 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its third weekend and earned 20,150,919 yen (US$193,489) on 210 screens for a new total of 282,101,648 (US$2,708,221). The character Brian Jay, a legendary astronaut in both Koyama's original manga and the television anime, will play an integral role in the film. The film will depict for the first time the "true reason" and the "starting point" behind Mutta and Hibito's goal of going to space. The film will also give more details on the other "Space Brothers" in the series: Eddie and Brian Jay.

Eight Rangers 2 fell from #10 to #14 on Box Office Mojo's Chart in its fifth weekend and earned 17,492,750 yen (US$167,966) on 160 screens for a new total of 624,345,229 yen (US$5,994,963). Former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda will play the heroine in this sequel to the 2012 Super Sentai parody film starring boy band KANJANI 8 as the Eight Rangers.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo


This article has a follow-up: Japanese Box Office, August 30-31 (2014-09-08 03:00)
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, August 16-17
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