News

Japanese Box Office, September 27-28

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen), the second of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, stayed at #1 in its third 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 #1 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 277,416,206 yen (US$2,530,408) on 399 screens for a total of 3,065,568,102 yen (US$27,959,943).

Stand By Me Doraemon, the 36th Doraemon film and franchise's first CGI film, stayed at #3 in its eighth 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 #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 116,303,164 yen (US$1,060,894) on 337 screens for a new total of 7,905,775,303 yen (US$72,114,901).

The first live-action adaptation of Lupin III in four decades rose from #5 to #4 in its fifth weekend. The movie stars Shun Oguri as Lupin, Tadanobu Asano as Detective Kōichi Zenigata, Gou Ayanoas Goemon Ishikawa, Tetsuji Tamayama as Daisuke Jigen, and Meisa Kuroki as Fujiko Mine. Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden) of the popular Taiwanese group F4 will play an original character, Lupin's nemesis Michael Lee. The film also ranked #4 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 81,841,372 yen (US$746,503) on 307 screens for a new total of 2,094,025,694 yen (US$19,097,012).

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, fell from #8 to #9 in its ninth weekend. The film also ranked #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 38,286,350 yen (US$349,223) on 333 screens for a total of 5,363,005,146 yen (US$48,920,260).

The live-action film adaptation of Tecmo's Fatal Frame (Zero or Project Zero) game, Gekijōban Rei -Zero-, opened this week at #10. Ayami Nakajō and Aoi Morikawa, two popular models in the Japanese magazine Seventeen, star, and the story's setting has been moved from a Japanese house to an old school dormitory. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart.

The live-action adaptation of Taku Tsumugi's Hot Road shōjo manga fell from # 9 to #10 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its seventh weekend and earned 25,448,109 yen (US$232,181) on 295 screens for a total of 2,463,605,135 yen (US$22,479,387). 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.

Yowamushi Pedal Re:RIDE rose to #13 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its second weekend and earned 13,624,767 yen (US$124,320) on 10 screens for a new total of 99,944,680 yen (US$911,754). The film compiles the first half of the Inter High arc from the first Yowamushi Pedal/Yowapeda television anime season with some cuts of new footage added.

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo