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Precure Ranks #1 Over Blade Runner 2049 in Tickets Sold, Not Yen Earned

The Eiga Kirakira ☆ Precure a la Mode: Paris to! Omoide no Mille-Feuille!​ (Kirakira ☆ Precure a la Mode the Movie: With Paris! Mille-Feuille of Memories) anime film opened at #1 in tickets sold at the Japanese box office from October 28-29. The film, which is the 23rd in the Precure anime franchise, sold 170,659 tickets on 217 screens to earn 193,101,900 yen (about US$1.7 million). In the anime's story, the Precure members go to France as part of a cooking competition. The film is related to the Kirakira ☆ Precure a la Mode television anime, the 14th entry in the Precure series, that premiered in February

The American live-action film Blade Runner 2049, which ranked at #2 for the weekend, sold 149,947 tickets on 593 screens for 226,493,800 yen (US$2.0 million). Although Blade Runner 2049 earned more at the box office, it ranked behind the new Precure film because it sold fewer tickets. It also opened on Friday, one day earlier than the Precure movie — but Japan's weekend box office tallies do not include Fridays, so they did not include Blade Runner 2049's opening day total.

The live-action film of Shūichi Asō's Saiki Kusuo no Psi Nan (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) manga fell from #2 to #4 and earned 132,600,200 yen (about US$1.1 million) in its second weekend at the box office. The film sold 156,000 tickets on 275 screens for 194 million yen (about US$1.7 million) in its opening weekend, and has earned a cumulative total of 453,238,300 yen (about US$3.9 million). Yūichi Fukuda (live-action HK/Hentai Kamen, Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store, Gintama) directed the film. The original manga and film follow the everyday life of Kusuo Saiki, a 16-year-old high school student who also has psychic powers.

The live-action film of Kazune Kawahara's Sensei! manga ranked at #5 in its opening weekend. The film, titled Sensei! ...Suki ni Natte mo Ii desu ka? (Teacher! ...Is it All Right For Me to Like You?), sold 10,000 tickets on 336 screens to earn 127 million yen (US$1.1 million) at the box office. The film is expected to earn more than 1 billion yen (US$8.8 million) in total. Toma Ikuta (Akihabara @ DEEP's Box, Bokura ga Ita/We Were There's Motoharu Yano) plays Kōsaku Itō, a high school teacher, while Suzu Hirose (The Boy and The Beast's Kaede, live-action Chihayafuru's Chihaya, live-action Your Lie in April's Kaori) plays Hibiki Shimada, a girl who falls in love with Kōsaku.

Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower, the first film in the Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel anime film trilogy, fell from #4 to #7 and earned 107,748,700 yen (about US$947,116) in its third weekend at the box office. The film topped the box office ranking in its first weekend in both attendance and box office earnings. The movie sold 247,509 tickets for 413,030,840 yen (about US$3.69 million) in two days for a per-screen average of 3,226,802 yen (US$29,000) in its first weekend. The film has now earned a cumulative total of 974,109,020 yen (about US$8.5 million).

The Free! -Take Your Marks- anime film opened at #8 at the box office. The film earned 75,788,600 yen (about US$666,181) in its opening weekend. The film is a sequel to the Free! -Timeless Medley- compilation films. The story takes place in March, with Haruka dealing with graduation from high school. The film depicts four stories set in the days of early spring, before the characters advance to the next starting blocks of their futures, and what lies ahead. The film ended with the message "See You Next Stage."

Ajin, the live-action film based on Gamon Sakurai's Ajin - Demi-Human manga, fell off the top 10 chart in its fifth weekend. Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch - Kōdō (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - The Awakening Path), the first film in the planned compilation film trilogy for the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 anime series, fell off the chart in its second weekend.

The third Uchū Senkan Yamato 2202: Ai no Senshi-tachi (Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love or Star Blazers 2202: Warriors of Love) film topped the mini-theater rankings for the third weekend in a row. The film, subtitled "Junai-hen" (Pure Love Chapter), is screening in 25 theaters.

Sources: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Eiga.com, Kōgyō Tsūshin (Link 2), comScore via KOFIC