News

Monster Strike the Movie Earns 439 Million Yen in Opening Weekend, Tops Japan's Box Office (Updated)

The Monster Strike The Movie anime film earned 439,612,800 yen (about US$3.79 million) and sold 390,416 tickets, topping the Japanese box office on its opening weekend. The film opened on Saturday.

The Monster Strike net anime series premiered in October 2015, and recently ended. The entire series is streaming on YouTube with English subtitles.

The net anime centers on protagonist Ren Homura, who returns to his hometown of Kaminohara, but something in his memories tells him he didn't really live in Kaminohara before. After the Monster Strike app is forcefully installed on his phone, the game and its battles start to help him piece together his scattered memories. Ren also uncovers the truth about the smartphone game. The film tells a prequel story.

The net anime series and anime film are both based on mixi's mobile game. The game's staff reports over 35 million players worldwide.

Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid & Ghost with Legend Rider, the New Kamen Rider film in Toei's Movie Taisen (Movie War) series of crossover films, ranked #3 in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on Saturday.

Makoto Shinkai's your name. (Kimi no Na wa.) anime film fell from #2 to #5 in its 16th weekend. The film has earned 20,006,188,400 yen (about US$175.81 million) and sold 15,391,716 tickets as of December 6, after 102 days in Japanese theaters.

The live-action Museum film dropped from #3 to #6 in its fifth weekend. The film adapts Ryōsuke Tomoe's Museum (Museum: The Serial Killer is Laughing in the Rain) suspense horror manga.

Sunao Katabuchi's (Mai Mai Miracle, Black Lagoon) In This Corner of the World anime film dropped from #4 to #7 in its fifth weekend. The Kantai Collection: KanColle anime film fell from #6 to #8 in its third weekend.

The live-action Oboreru Knife film rose back to the chart at #10 during its sixth weekend, after falling off the chart last week.

The Death Note Light up the NEW world live-action film fell of the chart in its seventh weekend, and the Kuroko no Basuke Winter Cup Sōshū-hen: Tobira no Mukō (Kuroko's Basketball Winter Cup Compilation ~Crossing the Door~) compilation anime film also fell off the chart in its second weekend.

Sources: Animate Times, Movie Walker via moviewalker_bce

Update: Article restored.

Update 2: Variety reported on Monday that, while Monster Strike The Movie ranked #1 in ticket sales, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them earned the equivalent of US$4.9 million to top the Japanese box office in terms of earnings. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sold 380,000 tickets over the weekend, and has earned more than US$35 million in 19 days at the box office in Japan.

Variety additionally reported that Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid & Ghost with Legend Rider earned the equivalent of US$2.4 million yen, a 24% improvement over last December's Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider: Ghost & Drive Chō Movie Taisen film.