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Japanese Box Office, August 16-17

posted on by Karen Ressler
Live-action Hot Road film premieres

Stand By Me Doraemon, the 36th Doraemon film and franchise's first CGI film, stayed at #1 in its second week. Satoshi Tsumabuki, who previously played 30-year-old Nobita in a series of live-action Toyota car commercials, also plays Nobita as a young man in the film. The film also ranked #1 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 701,482,264 yen (US$6,728,814) on 319 screens for a new total of 3,273,053,026 yen (US$31,389,560).

The live-action adaptation of Taku Tsumugi's Hot Road shōjo manga opened this week at #2. The manga revolves around Kazuki Miyaichi (Rena Nōnen), a girl who feels that she does not receive any love from her mother (Yoshino Kimura). As she carries anxiety about not being needed by anyone, she begins to feel attracted to a juvenile delinquent named Hiroshi Haruyama (Hiroomi Tosaka). Ryōhei Suzuki also stars as Tōru Tamami, the leader of the Nights gang. The film also ranked #2 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 389,165,862 yen (US$3,732.470) on 302 screens.

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno), the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, fell from #2 to #3 in its third weekend. The sequels adapt the Kyoto arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga, with Takeru Satoh returning as Kenshin Himura and Tatsuya Fujiwara (live-action Death Note) playing the antagonist Makoto Shishio. The film also ranked #3 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 361,115,594 yen (US$3,463,922) on 438 screens for a total of 3,194,097,307 yen (US$30,638,676).

Studio Ghibli's newest film When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Marnie) fell from #5 to #6 in its fifth weekend. The film adapts Joan G. Robinson's classic English children's novel of the same name. In his second film, director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (2010's The Secret World of Arrietty) is shifting the setting from the novel's Great Britain to a Japanese village on the shores of Hokkaido. The film ranked #7 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 164,222,440 yen (US$1,574,942) on 461 screens for a new total of 2,647,920,291 yen (US$25,393,635).

Gareth Edwards' Godzilla stayed at #7 in its fourth weekend. The film, which opened in the United States in May, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Richard T. Jones, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins. The film ranked #6 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 174,538,209 yen (US$1,674,397) over the weekend on 427 screens for a new total of 2,623,479,964 yen (US$25,159,960).

Pocket Monster XY: Hakai no Mayu (Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction) fell from #6 to #8 in its fifth weekend. The film guest-stars Marika Matsumoto, Japanese pro soccer player Atsuto Uchida, Yoshiko Mita, Kouichi Yamadera, Shōko Nakagawa, Rika Adachi, and comedian duo Nakagawa-ke. In the film's story, a country called the Diamond Empire falls into chaos when the legendary Pokémon Diancie loses her power to control the Holy Diamond, the empire's power source, and so she enlists the help of Ash and his friends. The film also ranked #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 116,910,453 yen (US$1,121,557) on 357 screens for a new total of 2,312,546,278 (US$22,182,591).

The double feature consisting of Gekijō-ban Kamen Rider Gaim Soccer Daisakusen! Kogane no Kajitsu Sōdatsuhai! (Kamen Rider Gaim the Movie: The Great Soccer Battle! The Golden Fruit Cup Struggle!) and Ressha Sentai TōQGer The Movie: Galaxy Line stayed at #9 in its fifth weekend. The films are based on the latest installments in the live-action Kamen Rider and Super Sentai television franchises, respectively. The Kamen Rider Gaim film includes participation from Japan's professional J.League soccer players and the Ressha Sentai TōQGer film follows the Safari Ressha who run the Galaxy Line, their conductor named Lady, and the Shadow Line member pursuing them. The film did not rank on Box Office Mojo's chart.

Uchū Kyōdai #0 (Space Brothers #0, pronounced "Number Zero"), the first Space Brothers anime film, fell from #8 to #10 in its second weekend. The character Brian Jay, a legendary astronaut in both Koyama's original manga and the television anime, will play an integral role in the film. The film will depict for the first time the "true reason" and the "starting point" behind Mutta and Hibito's goal of going to space. The film will also give more details on the other "Space Brothers" in the series: Eddie and Brian Jay. The film ranked #9 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 36,083,140 yen (US$346,048) on 209 screens for a new total of 219,485,630 (US$2,104,874).

Eight Rangers 2 stayed #10 on Box Office Mojo's Chart in its fourth weekend and earned 33,130,221 yen (US$317,828) on 160 screens for a new total of 555,299,296 yen (US$5.325,487). Former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda will play the heroine in this sequel to the 2012 Super Sentai parody film starring boy band KANJANI 8 as the Eight Rangers.

The live-action film adaptation of Kanae Hazuki's Suki-tte Ii na yo. (Say, "I Love You".) stayed at #11 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its sixth weekend and earned 24,410,034 yen (US$234,173) on 211 screens for a new total of 1,028,266,983 yen (US$9,863,425). The story of first love centers around Mei Tachibana (Haruna Kawaguchi), a girl who has never made friends, and Yamato Kurosawa (Sōta Fukushi), the school's most popular boy. British boy band One Direction performed the film's theme song.

The American live-action film All You Need Is Kill (Edge of Tomorrow), based on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, rose from #15 to #13 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its seventh weekend and earned 8,615,391 yen (US$82,622) on 191 screens over the weekend for a total of 1,571,945,266 yen (US$15,075,427). Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in the film about a man who relives the same war against aliens over again each time he dies. The novel also spawned a manga by artist Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note, Bakuman.) and writer Ryōsuke Takeuchi (ST&RS).

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo


This article has a follow-up: Japanese Box Office, August 23-24 (2014-08-31 20:10)
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, August 9-10
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