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Japanese Box Office, July 12–13: HanaDan's 3rd #1 Week
posted on by Egan Loo
One week before Studio Ghibli's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea opens, Yasuharu Ishii's live-action film finale based on Yōko Kamio's Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango) romantic comedy manga took the #1 spot again at the Japanese box office during the July 12-13 weekend. Boys Over Flowers: Final earned 580 million yen (about US$5.5 million) that weekend for a 16-day total of 3.79 billion yen (US$36 million). That puts it above Koki Mitani's latest film this year (The Magic Hour at 3.29 billion yen or US$31 million) but below Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (4.03 billion yen or US$38 milion). In an unprecedented effort to promote the film in its third weekend, the cast members Mao Inoue, Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda, and Tsuyoshi Abe flew to five cities that weekend on a chartered Boeing 737-500 jumbo jet.
GeGeGe no Kitarō: Sennen Noroi Uta (GeGeGe no Kitarō : The Thousand-Year-Curse Song, pictured at right), the live-action film sequel based on Shigeru Mizuki's supernatural manga, opened at #3 that weekend with 230 million yen (US$2.2 million). Its predecessor, Gegege no Kitarō, eventually earned 2.3 billion yen (US$22 million) during its 2007 run, but it opened during Japan's Golden Week holidays in the spring. Soreike! Anpanman: Yōsei Rinrin no Himitsu, the latest entry in the anime franchise based on Takashi Yanase's pastry-faced hero, debuted at #6. The Wachowski Brothers' live-action adaptation of the Speed Racer anime faded from #5 to #7 in its second weekend.
Source: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Variety Japan, Tokyograph
Image © 2008 Boys Over Flowers: Final Production Committee
© 2008 Gegege no Kitarō Film Partners
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, July 5–6: HanaDan Stays at #1
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history