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Chainsaw Man Anime Film Stays at #1, 4th Sumikko Gurashi Anime Opens at #4
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, the film based on the Reze Arc of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man manga, stayed at #1 in its seventh weekend at the Japanese box office from October 24-26. The film sold 294,000 tickets and earned 440,709,600 yen (about US$2.86 million) from Friday to Sunday. Counting Monday (which was the Culture Day holiday in Japan), the film has sold a total of 5.21 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 7.9 billion yen (about US$51.30 million).
The film opened at #1 replacing the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai film, which had topped the box office for nine straight weeks. The film sold 807,000 tickets for 1,251,178,500 yen (about US$8.46 million) in its opening weekend.
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has acquired worldwide theatrical rights the film. The company opened the film in theaters in the United States on October 24.
Reina Ueda plays Reze in the film.
Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Sora no Ōkoku to Futari no Ko (The Sky Kingdom and the Two Children), the fourth anime film of San-X's Sumikko Gurashi franchise, opened on Friday and ranked at #4 from Friday to Sunday. The film sold 150,000 tickets and earned 183,974,840 yen (about US$1.19 million) in its first three days. Counting Monday (which was the Culture Day holiday in Japan), the film has sold a total of 208,000 tickets and earned 253 million yen (about US$1.64 million) in its first four days.
Yoshihiko Inohara and Manami Honjō return as narrators for the film at Fanworks.
Naomi Iwata (Pingu in the City, Obake Zukan) directed the fourth film at Fanworks. Takashi Sumita returned from the first and third Sumikko Gurashi films as the scriptwriter. Kaori Hino similarly returned from the first and third films as art director. Kaela Kimura performed the film's theme song "Kimi no Kasa" (Your Umbrella).
Asmik Ace, Inc. is distributing the film.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai, the first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy, dropped from #3 to #5 in its 16th weekend. The film earned 225,220,100 yen (about US$1.46 million) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 37,451,746,900 yen (about US$243 million).
The film had sold a total of 23,042,671 tickets for 33,056,606,000 yen (about US$224 million) as of September 15, its 60th day in the Japanese box office. This made it the second highest-earning film of all time at the Japanese box office, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's 2001 film Spirited Away.
The film is now the highest-earning anime film of all time worldwide, as well as the highest-earning Japanese film of all time worldwide.
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, the October 2020 film from the same franchise, is currently the highest earning film in Japan, with a 40.75 billion yen (about US$277 million in current conversion) total take in Japan.
Haruo Sotozaki is directing the anime at ufotable, and ufotable is also credited for the screenplay. Aimer is performing the song "Taiyō ga Noboranai Sekai" ("A World Where the Sun Never Rises"), and LiSA is performing the song "Zankoku no Yoru ni Kagayake" ("Shine in the Cruel Night").
The live-action film of Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second anime film dropped from #2 to #6 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 151,955,300 yen (about US$987,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,722,066,700 yen(about US$11.18 million).
The film opened in Japan on October 10.
SixTONES member Hokuto Matsumura (Suzume's Sōta Munakata) stars in the live-action film.
Spoon is producing the film, and TOHO is distributing. Yoshiyuki Okuyama directed the film, and Ayako Suzuki wrote the script. Ayatake Ezaki composed the music. Kenshi Yonezu performs the theme song "1991."
The 5 Centimeters per Second anime opened in Japan in 2007. The film is split into three individual segments. Shinkai directed, wrote, and storyboarded the anime film, and was also the sound director, producer, and art director. Tenmon composed the music.
4K restoration screenings of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke film dropped from #4 to #8 in its second weekend. The film earned 207,868,000 yen (about US$1.35 million) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a total of 638,241,500 yen (about US$4.15 million).
The Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise (Dream Galactic Paradise) anime film project fell off the top 10 list in its second weekend.
The standalone anime release for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – Urðr Hunt Special Edition: Path of the Little Challenger (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans: Urðr-Hunt), an animated spinoff from the Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans) television anime series, opened outside of the top 10, but earned 108,430,930 yen (about US$704,300) in its first three days.
Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), comScore via KOFIC
