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Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final Film Earns 4 Billion Yen

The Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final film has earned a total of 4 billion yen (about US$36.20 million) as of Tuesday. The film and Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Beginning, which make up the two "final chapter" films in the live-action film series based on Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga, have sold a combined a total of 4 million tickets.

Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final has sold a total of 2.83 million tickets as of last Sunday. The film opened on April 23 and ranked at #2 in its opening weekend.

Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Beginning, the second film, has earned a cumulative total of 1,784,947,160 yen (about US$16.15 million) and sold 1.25 million tickets as last Sunday. The film opened on June 4.

The films were originally slated to open on July 3 and August 7 last year, but were delayed to this year due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final has an original story that differs from the story in the manga. The film centers on the story from the manga's "Jinchū" arc, which features Kenshin's conflict with the mysterious weapons dealer Enishi. Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Beginning tells the story of how Kenshin got his cross-shaped scar. Kasumi Arimura plays the character Tomoe Yukishiro in the films. Tomoe was Kenshin's wife during his days as the assassin Battōsai, and her story ties into Kenshin's iconic X-shaped scar. Kenshin and Tomoe's relationship was previously portrayed in the Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal original video anime (OVA) project.

Keishi Ōtomo returned to direct the films. The rock band ONE OK ROCK returned to perform the theme song "Renegade" for the films.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web