News

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Film Reclaims Box Office #1

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train rose back to #1 in its 14th weekend. The film has earned 36,176,405,350 yen (about US$348.8 million) and has sold 26.44 million tickets as of Sunday. The film returned to the #1 spot over the weekend, its 14th weekend in Japan. The film sold 123,000 tickets and earned 203,391,700 yen (about US$1.96 million) on Saturday and Sunday.

After 12 consecutive weeks at #1 in the box office in Japan, the film dropped to #2 during the January 9-10 weekend. During that weekend, the film sold 425,000 tickets and earned 677,783,450 yen (about US$6.57 million) from Friday to Sunday.

The film has surpassed Hayao Miyazaki's 2002 Spirited Away, its last rival for all-time highest earnings in Japanese box office history. (Spirited Away earned 30.8 billion yen in its original run, but has since earned a total of 31.68 billion yen after this summer's revival screenings.) It is now also at least the second highest-earning anime film of all time worldwide, topping your name.'s worldwide US$357,986,087 earnings.

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train began screening in 38 IMAX theaters in Japan on October 16. The film had the highest opening weekend globally for the October 16-18 weekend. The film sold 3,424,930 tickets and earned 4,623,117,450 yen (about US$43.85 million) in Japan in its first three days. The film sold 910,507 tickets and earned over 1,268,724,700 yen (about US$12.03 million) on its opening day alone, making it the highest weekday opening day in Japan ever. Mugen Train began holding immersive MX4D and 4DX screenings on Saturday, December 26.

The main staff members of the previous television anime returned for the sequel film. Toho and Aniplex are handling the film's distribution in Japan. Funimation and Aniplex of America will screen the film in theaters in North America in early 2021.

Gintama The Final, the new anime film of Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga, dropped to #2 after opening at #1 and ending Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train's 12 consecutive weekends at the top of the Japanese box office. The film sold 106,000 ticketrs over the weekend, and earned 150,857,160 yen (about US$1.45 million) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 600,000 ticekts and earned a cumulative total of 833,629,460 yen (about US$8.03 million).

The film opened in Japan on January 8. The film is based on the finale of the original manga, combined with new story elements.

The manga is also inspiring a new net anime special titled Gintama The Semi-Final with a story that will be a two-episode prequel to the film. The net anime premiered exclusively in Japan on the online dTV service on January 15. The film also has a novel by Mirei Miyamoto that will shipped on January 8.

Sorachi's original "science-fiction period-drama comedy" manga began in 2003 and ended in June 2019 with over 55 million copies in circulation. The latest anime series premiered in July 2018. The manga has also inspired various original video anime (OVA), event anime, two live-action films, and two live-action net spinoffs. Viz Media published the manga's first 23 volumes in English.

Studio 4°C's anime film of Akihiro Nishino's Poupelle of Chimney Town (Entotsu-chō no Poupelle) picture book rose from #4 to #3 in its fourth weekend. The film sold 67,000 tickets over the weekend and earned 96,833,200 yen (about US$933,300) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.03 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 1,419,495,150 yen (about US$13.68 million).

The film ranked at #4 and earned 322,998,700 (about US$3.13 million) in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on December 25.

Yusuke Hirota (CGI director for Berserk films, Harmony) is directed the film, with Nishino serving as production supervisor, original creator, and writer, while Atsuko Fukushima (Genius Party, Robot Carnival) designed the characters.

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (Gekijōban Pocket Monster Koko), the 23rd anime film in the Pokémon franchise, stayed at #5 in its fourth weekend. It earned 56,735,050 yen (about US$546,800) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.14 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 1,338,082,500 yen (about US$12.89 million).

The film ranked at #2 and earned 378,195,750 yen (about US$3.66 million) in its opening weekend. The film opened on December 25 in Japan. Toho had originally planned to open the film earlier last year on July 10, but the staff delayed the film due to the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The film will then open in the West in 2021.

Tetsuo Yajima returned from 2018's Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us film at OLM, and co-wrote the film's script with Pokémon series writer Atsuhiro Tomioka.

The live-action film of Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu's The Promised Neverland manga stayed at #6 in its fifth weekend. It earned 60,931,250 yen (about US$587,200) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 1.27 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 1,643,501,700 yen (about US$15.83 million).

The film earned 373,372,850 yen (about US$3.6 million) in its first three days. The film opened on December 18.

Yūichirō Hirakawa (live-action ERASED film, live-action Rookies series) directed the film. Noriko Gotou penned the film's script. Hirakawa and Gotou worked together on the live-action Erased film.

Shirai and Demizu launched The Promised Neverland manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in August 2016, and ended it on June 15. An anime adaptation premiered in January 2019. Aniplex of America streamed the anime on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation, and HIDIVE as it aired. Toonami began airing the anime in April 2019. A second season of the anime was scheduled to premiere in October, but is delayed to January 7 due to the effect of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the production.

Natsume Yujin-cho: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihōsha (Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor), the new anime in the Natsume's Book of Friends franchise, ranked at #7 in its opening weekend.

The film opened in Tokyo's Shinjuku Wald 9 and other theaters on Friday .

The film is made up of two stories: "Ishi Okoshi" and "Ayashiki Raihōsha." In "Ishi Okoshi," Natsume meets a small yōkai called Mitsumi in a forest. Mitsumi is entrusted to wake up the divine yōkai "Iwatetsu" from its deep slumber. Mitsumi weighs on Natsume's mind, so he sets out to help Mitsumi with his task. In "Ayashiki Raihōsha," a mysterious visitor appears in front of Tanuma. Nearly every day, the visitor visits Tanuma, talks to him a little, and then leaves. Natsume, who knows the visitor is a yōkai, worries for Tanuma, but Tanuma enjoys these exchanges with the yōkai. The yōkai means no harm, but Tanuma's health slowly starts to deteriorate.

Aniplex is distributing the film. The returning staff includes chief director and scriptwriter Takahiro Ōmori at anime studio Shuka, director Hideki Ito, scriptwriter Sadayuki Murai, and composer Makoto Yoshimori.

Yuki Midorikawa's Natsume's Book of Friends (Natsume Yūjin-Chō) manga debuted in Hakusensha's LaLa DX magazine in June 2003. The manga's 25th compiled book volume shipped on June 5. Viz Media is releasing the ongoing series in English. The manga has inspired six television anime seasons and several OVAs.

The Natsume Yujin-cho the Movie: Ephemeral Bond film, the previous anime in the franchise, debuted in September 2018. Aniplex of America released the film on Blu-ray Disc last November. Aniplex of America screened the film at the Anime NYC convention in November 2018. The anime tells an original story.

The Stand By Me Doraemon 2 CG anime film dropped from #7 to #8 in its ninth weekend. It earned 24,880,300 (about US$239,800) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 2.13 million tickets, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,631,770,200 yen (about US$25.36 million).

The film sold 305,000 tickets and earned 386 million yen (about US$3.69 million) to rank at #2 in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on November 20. The film was originally slated to open in Japan on August 7 until it was delayed due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The film's story is largely be based on the franchise's 2000 film Doraemon: Obāchan no Omoide (Doraemon: A Grandmother's Recollections), but adds original elements, including the love story of Shizuka and Nobita that was also present in the previous Stand By Me Doraemon film. The 2000 film, in turn, was based on a chapter from the fourth manga volume.

Ryūichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki returned from the first film as directors, and Yamazaki once again penned the script. Masaki Suda performed the film's theme song "Niji" (Rainbow). The first Stand By Me Doraemon film was the first 3D CG film in the franchise, and it eventually earned 8.38 billion yen (about US$77.16 million) in Japan and over 10 billion yen worldwide (about US$90 million).

The first film in the two-part Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon Eternal (Pretty Guardians Sailor Moon Eternal The MOVIE) anime film project dropped from #9 to #10 in its second weekend. The film earned 21,859,180 yen (about US$210,600) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 117,373,840 yen (about US$1.13 million).

The film opened in Japan on January 8. The first film was originally scheduled to open in Japan on September 11, 2020, but was delayed due to the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Japan. The second film will open on February 11, 2021.

The film marks 25 years since the franchise last had a work that screened in theaters in Japan.

Original manga creator Naoko Takeuchi is credited with the original work and with supervision. Chiaki Kon is returning from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III to direct the two films. Kazuko Tadano, the character designer for the original Sailor Moon anime, is designing the characters. Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure TV anime all five parts, Land of the Lustrous, PriPara) is penning the scripts. Toei is distributing the film. Studio DEEN is co-producing the film alongside Toei Animation.

Gekijōban Seitokai Yakuindomo 2, the second film based on Tozen Ujiie's Seitokai Yakuindomo manga, dropped from #1 to #5 in the mini-theater ranking in its third weekend.

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