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Violet Evergarden Film Falls to #6 in 6th Weekend at Box Office

The Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train film for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series stayed at #1 for its second weekend during the weekend of October 24-25. The film sold 2,272,836 tickets to earn 3,041,448,750 yen (about US$29.08 million) during the weekend. The film has sold a total of 7,983,442 tickets to earn a cumulative 10,754,232,550 yen (about US$102.52 million). The film set a new record in Japan for the fastest film to earn 10 billion yen, beating out Spirited Away (which is currently the top-grossing film of all time in Japan, having earned 30.8 billion yen). Spirited Away took 25 days to reach 10 billion yen when it opened in Japan in 2001.

The film opened on October 16 at #1 in its opening weekend, and had the highest opening weekend globally for the October 16-18 weekend. The film sold 3,424,930 tickets and earned 4,623,117,450 yen (about US$43.85 million) in Japan in its first three days. The film sold 910,507 tickets and earned over 1,268,724,700 yen (about US$12.03 million) in its opening day alone, making it the highest weekday opening day in Japan ever.

The film sold 1,270,234 tickets and earned 1,701,723,350 yen (about US$16.14 million) on its second day. It sold 1,239,752 tickets and earned 1,652,669,400 yen (about US$15.67 million) on its third day. The Saturday and Sunday totals combined are Japan's highest weekend opening ever.

The main staff members of the previous television anime returned for the sequel film. TOHO and Aniplex are handling the film's distribution in Japan. Funimation and Aniplex of America will screen the film in theaters in North America in early 2021.

Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga inspired a television anime that premiered in April 2019, and aired its 26th and final episode in September 2019.

Kyoto Animation's Violet Evergarden: The Movie anime film dropped from #5 to #6 in its sixth weekend. The film earned 57,697,800 yen (about US$551,800) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold 1.14 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 1.63 billion yen (about US$15.6 million) as of October 29. The film will be the first new Japanese anime film to open in Dolby Cinemas when it starts playing on those screens on November 13.

The film opened in Japan on September 18, and it ranked at #2 in its opening weekend.

The film's official website announced on April 6 that Kyoto Animation postponed the film's opening in Japan due to concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The film was slated to open in Japan on April 24. This was the second delay for the film, as it was originally slated for a January 10, 2020 opening in Japan.

The franchise's separate side-story anime, titled Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eien to Jidō Shuki Ningyō), opened in theaters in Japan last September, and it screened for at least five weeks. The film eventually earned a cumulative total of 831 million yen (about US$7.90 million). Netflix debuted the anime on April 2.

The Eiga Crayon Shin-chan Gekitotsu! Rakuga Kingdom to Hobo Yonin no Yūsha (Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Crash! Rakuga Kingdom and Roughly Four Heroes) film dropped from #7 to #8 in its seventh weekend. The film earned 19,891,500 yen (about US$190,300) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,112,906,400 yen (about US$10.64 million).

The 28th Crayon Shin-chan film opened on September 11 after it was delayed from its April 24 opening due to COVID-19. The film opened at #1. The film sold 212,000 tickets and earned 262 million yen (about US$2.47 million) in its opening weekend.

Takahiko Kyōgoku (Land of the Lustrous, Love Live! School idol project, GATE) directed the film, and Ryō Takada (Meow Meow Japanese History) wrote the script. Shinei Animation, TV Asahi, ADK, and Futabasha are credited for production. Musician Takafumi Ikeda's "solo unit" Rekishi performed the film's theme song "Giga Aishiteru."

The Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Shin Kyōryū (Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's New Dinosaur) anime film dropped out of the top 10 in its 12th weekend.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin, Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web