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Final Evangelion Film's Box Office Jumps 960.5% Over Previous Weekend
posted on by Egan Loo
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :||), the "final" Evangelion film, sold 169,296 tickets for 265,876,900 yen (about US$2.42 million) this past weekend for a new grand total of 5,867,510 tickets for 8,965,306,780 yen (about US$81.7 million). This past weekend's box office is 939.5% that of the weekend before (by the number of tickets sold), and 960.5% (by total yen earned). The film ranked #1 by tickets sold this past weekend. (Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway ranked #1 by total yen earned this past weekend.)
The film's new Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 version began playing on Saturday for the film's "last run." The new version contains "minor revisions" to some animation sequences, but does not change the film's story.
Participating theaters nationwide also began handing out one million copies of a 36-page EVA-EXTRA-EXTRA pamphlet on Saturday, while supplies last. The pamphlet features a new cover illustration by animator Atsushi Nishigori and a manga by the staff about a previously untold account leading up to the third film. Six theaters in Japan began running Dolby Cinema screenings on Saturday.
The film opened in Japan on March 8. The film ranked #1 in its opening weekend. The film sold 2,194,533 tickets for 3,338,422,400 yen (about US$30.6 million) in its first seven days in 466 theaters in Japan. The film sold 33.6% more tickets for 45.1% more yen than the previous Evangelion film during their respective first seven days. The film earned the equivalent of US$3.4 million in 38 IMAX theaters during its first seven days— the second-highest opening week for IMAX screenings of a domestic title in Japan, behind only last year's Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 also played in 82 theaters equipped for 4D screenings.
In its third week, the film surpassed the domestic earnings of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, which earned a total of 5.3 billion yen. The new film is now the highest-earning film in the series domestically and internationally. The film has so far earned a cumulative total of 8,605,093,500 yen (about US$78.65million), as of May 30.
The staff had delayed the film from January 23 to March 8, after careful consideration due to the new state of emergency declared in four prefectures in Japan on January 8, and then extended to a total of 11 prefectures. The film had an earlier delay due to concerns over COVID-19 and its spread inside and outside of Japan. The film was originally scheduled to open in Japan on June 27, 2020.
Sources: Cinema Today, Oricon
