News
Japanese Box Office, June 30-July 1
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The live-action film adaptation of Satoru Hiura's women's romance manga Hotaru no Hikari - It's Only Little Light in My Life fell from No. 2 to No. 4 during its fourth weekend. The film is the sequel to the two live-action Hotaru no Hikari television series. Haruka Ayase and Naohito Fujiki are both reprising their roles in the film. The manga follows a 27-year-old office worker Hotaru (Ayase) who is uninterested in love. Hotaru's situation gets complicated as she suddenly finds herself living with her boss, Seiichi Takano (Fujiki). In the film's story, Hotaru and Takano travel to Italy. The film earned US$1,706,638 on 316 screens for a new total of US$18,886,981.
Hideki Takeuchi's live-action Thermae Romae film fell from No. 4 to No. 5 in its 10th weekend. Based on Mari Yamazaki's manga, the story follows Roman architect Lucius Modestus (Hiroshi Abe), who designs bath-houses in ancient Rome. One day he's sucked into modern-day Japan. Able to travel back and forth in between worlds, Lucius uses Japanese ideas to improve the Roman baths he builds in the past. The film grossed US$1,063,856 on 323 screens for a total of US$71,774,428.
The anime film adaptation of Hiro Arikawa's Library War light novels, Toshokan Sensō: Kakumei no Tsubasa (Library War: The Wings of Revolution), fell from No. 9 to No. 13 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its third weekend. The film's main cast are reprising their roles from the 2008 television anime series. Director Takayuki Hamana (Appleseed XIII, The Beast Player Erin, The Prince of Tennis), scripwriter Takeshi Konuta, original character designer Sukumo Adabana, and the animation studio Production I.G are also returning from the series. The film earned US$206,796 on 30 screens for a gross-to-date of US$1,581,999.
The second film in the Berserk film trilogy, Berserk Ōgon Jidai-Hen II: Doldrey Kōryaku (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Doldrey War), fell from No. 8 to No. 14 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its second weekend. Studio 4°C's anime film trilogy adapts Kentarō Miura's Berserk manga. The film focuses on Guts (Hiroaki Iwanaga) and The Band of the Hawk's epic battle alongside the Kingdom of Midland to retake Doldrey Castle from the Chuder Empire. The film earned US$183,225 on 93 screens for a new total of US$804,258.
The live-action 3D film based on Sadako, the iconic ghost of the horror film Ring (Ringu), and the live-action film adaptation of Bisco Hatori's Ouran High School Host Club romantic comedy manga both fell from Box Office Mojo's chart.
Sources: Kogyo Tsunshinsha, Box Office Mojo
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, June 23-24
