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2026 Doraemon Film Stays at #1, 2nd That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Film Drops to #6
posted on by Adriana Hazra
The 2026 Doraemon film, Eiga Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Kaitei Kiganjō (Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil), stayed at #1 in its second weekend. The film sold 394,600 tickets and earned 518,978,900 yen (US$3.26 million) over the three-day weekend. The film has sold a total of 1.11 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 1,431,129,150 yen (about US$9.01 million).
The film opened on February 27 and ranked at #1 in its first weekend. The film sold 621,000 tickets and earned 779,681,350 yen (about US$4.96 million) in its first three days.
The new and 45th 2D anime film (not counting the 3D CG Stand By Me Doraemon films) remakes the classic 1983 film Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil.
Tetsuo Yajima (Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us, Pokémon XY) returns after directing episodes of the Doraemon television anime and contributing in other capacities to Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld, Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Steel Troops: The New Age, and Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Chikyū Symphony. Another veteran of the television anime, Isao Murayama (Witchy Precure!, Star Twinkle Precure, Bakugan), wrote the new film's screenplay.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea (Gekijō-ban Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken: Sōkai no Namida-hen), the second anime film in the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken) franchise, dropped from #3 to #6 in its second weekend. The film earned 127,926,990 yen (about US$805,500) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 525,635,010 yen (about US$3.30 million).
The film opened in Japan on February 27 and ranked at #3 in its first weekend. The film sold 225,000 tickets and earned 301,175,600 yen (about US$1.91 million) in its first three days.
Crunchyroll has acquired the worldwide theatrical rights to the film. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Crunchyroll will screen the film in theaters with dates to be announced.
The film has returning cast members from the television anime.
New cast members for the film include Saori Ōnishi as Yura, Koichi Domoto as Zodon, and Kōji Yusa as Djeese. Hinatazaka46 members Nao Kosaka and Kaho Fujishima voice shrine maidens Mio and Yori respectively, both original characters for the film.
8-Bit produced the film's animation.
TRUE performs the theme song "Utopia." Cast member Saori Ōnishi (Yura) sings the insert song "Sōkoku" (Blue Moment) and the six-member unit ARCANA PROJECT sings another insert song "Renainō" (Talent for Romance). STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION and ASH DA HERO member ASH collaborated on the insert song "Harmonics."
Shin-Gekijōban Gintama: Yoshiwara Daienjō (Gintama New Film Version: Yoshiwara in Flames), the new compilation film for the anime based on Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga, dropped from #6 to #9 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 88,051,980 yen (about US$554,400) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,227,205,650 yen (about US$7.72 million).
The film opened on February 13. It sold 262,700 tickets and earned 405,617,328 yen (US$2.64 million) in its first three days.
The film covers episodes 139-146 of the anime and features newly animated scenes, as well as characters who did not originally appear in the arc. Kappei Yamaguchi voices the anime-original character Enkaku, Hōsen's close aide.
Naoya Ando (Paradox Live The Animation) directed the film based on a script by Taku Kishimoto (Fruits Basket, Haikyu!!) at BN Pictures. Yōichi Fujita (Gintama, Mr. Osomatsu) supervised. Shinji Takeuchi (Fairy Tail, Gintama) served as character designer and chief animation director.
Rock band SUPER BEAVER performed the film's theme song "Sanzen" (Sparkling).
Shingo Yamashita's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (Chō Kaguya-hime!) anime film dropped from #8 to #10 in its third weekend after the film's limited one-week theatrical screening run in Japan was extended. The film also stayed at #1 in its third weekend in the mini-theater rankings. The film earned 71,575,600 yen (about US$450,600) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 793,808,200 yen (about US$4.99 million).
The film's limited theatrical run started on February 20. Tickets quickly sold out, with some theaters having to increase the number of screenings to more than 10 times a day. The film earned a total of 223,485,400 yen (about US$1.43 million) in Japanese theaters in its first three days after its run was extended.
Netflix began streaming the film on January 22.
Yamashita (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, opening animation for Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, 2022 Urusei Yatsura) made his feature-length directorial debut with the film in a collaboration between his Studio Chromato and Studio Colorido. Hechima (The Idolmaster Gakuen) and Akihiro Nagae (Drifting Home) designed the characters, with the former in charge of the Tsukuyomi designs and the latter handling the real-world character designs.
Saori Hayami as Yachiyo performs the theme song "Ex-Otogibanashi" ("Ex-Fairy Tale"), composed by Ryo (supercell).
The film features songs by Vocaloid producers Ryo (supercell), kz (Livetune), 40mP, HoneyWorks, Aqu3ra, and yuigot.
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senkō no Hathaway - Circe no Majo), the second film of the Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (Kidō Senshi Gundam Senkō no Hathaway) anime project, dropped off the top 10 in its sixth weekend.
The 4K remaster of Hiroyuki Okiura and Mamoru Oshii's Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade film ranked at #3 in its first weekend in the mini-theater rankings.
Needy Girl Overdose -Overture-, the theatrical advanced screening of the upcoming Needy Girl Overdose anime, ranked at #5 in the mini-theater rankings. The screening opened on March 6 at Theatre Shinjuku in Tokyo, and at Theatre Umeda in Osaka.
Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2, link 3), comScore via KOFIC
