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2018 Pokémon Film Opens at #2

Gekijōban Pocket Monster: Minna no Monogatari (Pokémon the Movie: Everyone's Story), the 21st film in the Pokémon franchise, opened on July 13 in 364 theaters in Japan, and it ranked #2 in its opening weekend. The film sold 440,000 tickets and earned 500 million yen (about US$4.42 million). The film earned 3.1% less than the opening weekend of last year's Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (Gekijōban Pocket Monster: Kimi ni Kimeta!) film.

The story is set during the annual Wind Festival at Frau City, which is blessed with wind from the Legendary Pokémon Lugia. Lugia and a new Mythical Pokémon named Zeraora appear in the film.

Kunihiko Yuyama, who has directed many of the earlier Pokémon films, including last year's Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, returns as animation supervisor. Eiji Umehara (Grimoire of Zero, Beelzebub scriptwriter) and Aya Takaha wrote the script.

Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) handled animation production along with the franchise's mainstay studio Oriental Light and Magic. Tetsuo Yajima, the assistant director of last year's Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, returned to direct the film, and Shizue Kaneko (If Her Flag Breaks, Pan de Peace!) designed the characters.

The live-action film of Minami Mizuno's Rainbow Days (Nijiiro Days) manga dropped from #3 to #6 in its second weekend. The film earned 64,345,800 yen (about US$569,800) from Friday to Sunday, and has now earned a cumulative total of 275,594,200 yen (about US$2.44 million).

The film opened in 317 theaters on June 6. It sold 87,000 tickets and earned 110 million yen (about US$991,000) to rank #3 in its opening weekend.

Ken Iizuka (live-action Arakawa Under the Bridge) directed the film and Rika Nezu (Saint Young Men) wrote the screenplay. Filming took place from mid October to November last year.

Rainbow Days centers on a group of four male high school students who are close friends: Natsuki, Tomoya, Keiichi, and Tsuyoshi. The four boys have no club activities, and they hurry through their studies so they can spend their days having fun. Their main topic of interest: love. Natsuki has an unrequited crush on Anna, a girl from another class, and his friends keep meddling in their relationship.

Soreike! Anpanman Kagayake! Kurun to Inochi no Hoshi (Let's go! Anpanman: Shine! Kurun and the Star of Life), the Anpanman franchise's 30th anime film, fell from #5 to #7 in its third weekend. The film earned 58,381,900 yen (about US$517,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has now earned a cumulative total of 335,827,100 yen (about US$2.97 million).

The film sold 112,116 tickets to earn 121,080,500 yen (about US$1.09 million) and rank #4 in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on June 30 in 207 theaters. The film earned 37.6% more in its opening weekend than the opening weekend of last year's Soreike! Anpanman Buruburu no Takarasagashi Daibōken! franchise film, which eventually earned 540 million yen (about US$4.86 million).

The film is projected to earn more than 600 million yen (about US$5.40 million).

The film's story begins in Anpanman World, where everybody is bustling around, getting ready for the annual Star Festival. On that day, an egg emerges from Baikinman's garbage box, and when it hatches, a mysterious boy named Kurun emerges from within. Though Kurun does not know where he came from, he spends his days having fun with everybody. But one day, black stars begin raining down. Anpanman thinks that something suspicious might be occurring at the Star of Life, and he heads there.

Meitantei Conan Zero no Shikkōnin (Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer), the 22nd film in the Detective Conan series, stayed at #8 at the box office in Japan in its 14th weekend. The film earned 27,886,200 yen (about US$246,900) from Friday to Sunday. The film has now earned 8,583,064,800 yen (about US$75.9 million). The film enjoyed seven consecutive weekends at #1, only dropping to #3 in its eighth weekend.

Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer had sold 1,289,000 tickets in its first three days to earn 1.67 billion yen (about US$15.6 million). The film's opening Saturday and Sunday sales represented 100.7% of the total that last year's Meitantei Conan Kara Kurenai no Love Letter film earned in its first Saturday and Sunday. Last year's film became the highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 2017 by earning a total of 6.89 billion yen (about US$61.1 million), which was also a franchise record. The new film is now the highest-grossing film in the franchise.

Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100, Death Parade) directed the new film. The film is a sequel of the series' 20th film, Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, and centers on Tōru "Zero" Amuro. Police chief Hyōe Kuroda, who is rumored to be Rum in the Black Organization, appears for the first time in a film for the franchise.

Uchū Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad, the crossover film between Toei's Uchū Sentai Kyuranger series and characters from the Metal Hero franchise, fell off the top five mini-theater rankings in Japan in its third weekend. The film ranked at #1 in the mini-theater rankings in its first two weekends.

Sources: Eiga.com, Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), comScore via KOFIC