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Patlabor EZY 'File 1' Film Opens at #8, Live-Action Shōjiki Fudōsan Opens at #4

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures' sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie — rose back from #2 to #1 in its fourth weekend. The film sold 258,000 tickets and earned 360,360,530 yen (about US$2.26 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 4.66 million tickets and earned a cumulative total of 6,436,820,000 yen (about US$40.47 million).

The film opened at #1 at the Japanese box office. The film sold 1.121 million tickets and earned 1,601,093,600 yen (about US$9.96 million) in its first three days.

The film opened in the United States and the United Kingdom on April 1, in other select territories on April 3, and in Japan on April 24.

Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo representative director and fellow Shigeru Miyamoto again produced Illumination and Universal Pictures' new film. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and screenwriter Matthew Fogel returned from the previous film for the new project. Brian Tyler returned to compose the soundtrack.

Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi (Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway), the Detective Conan franchise's 29th film, stayed at #3 in its sixth weekend. The film sold 223,000 tickets and earned 340,946,300 yen (about US$2.14 million) from Friday to Sunday, and has sold a total of 8.10 million tickets to earn a cumulative total of 11,954,329,900 yen (about US$75.16 million).

The film is now the fourth consecutive film in the franchise to earn more than 10 billion yen, beginning with 2023's Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine film.

The film sold 2,318,009 tickets and earned 3,502,137,800 yen (about US$21.9 million) in its first three days, making a new opening-weekend record for the franchise, and debuting at #1 at the Japanese box office. 

The new film centers on the character Chihaya Hagiwara, member of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and the leader of its motorcycle division. Miyuki Sawashiro now voices the character, replacing the late Atsuko Tanaka. The movie also features Kanagawa inspector Jugo Yokomizo, teenage detective Masumi Sera, Chihaya's late younger brother Kenji Hagiwara, and Kenji's Police Academy classmate Jinpei Matsuda.

The live-action film of Mitsuhiro Mizuno and Akira Ōtani's Shōjiki Fudōsan (The Honest Realtor) manga ranked at #4 in its opening weekend, and earned 179,443,360 yen (about US$1.13 million) in its first three days.

The film opened in Japan on May 15.

The first season of the live-action TV series adaptation launched in 2022, with a special episode in 2023, and the second season aired in 2024.

Mizuno and Ōtani debuted the series based on a concept by Takeshi Natsuhara in Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine in 2017. Shogakukan shipped the 24th compiled book volume on May 8.

The live-action film of Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days manga dropped from #4 to #5 in its third weekend. The film earned 168,091,300 yen (about US$1.05 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 1.57 million tickets, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,186,834,700 yen (about US$13.75 million).

The film ranked at #4 in its opening weekend. The film sold 346,000 tickets and earned 478 million yen (about US$3.05 million) in its first three days. In its first eight days in the Japanese box office, which spanned the entirety of the Golden Week holidays, the film sold 1.14 million tickets and earned 1.5 billion yen (about US$9.58 million).

The film opened in Japan on April 29. The film is also screening in the panoramic ScreenX format in 27 theaters all over Japan.

Viz Media and MANGA Plus are publishing the manga in English digitally.

Snow Man member Ren Meguro stars as Tarō Sakamoto, and Fumiya Takahashi plays Shin Asakura. Aya Ueto plays Tarō Sakamoto's wife Aoi Sakamoto, while Miyu Yoshimoto plays Tarō Sakamoto's daughter Hana Sakamoto. Other cast members include Mayū Yokota as Lu Shaotang, Junki Tozuka as Heisuke Mashimo, Akihisa Shiono as Kashima, and Keisuke Watanabe as Natsuki Seiba. Takumi Kitamura, Yūsei Yagi, and Meru Nukumi play Order assassins Nagumo, Shishiba, and Osaragi, respectively.

Yūichi Fukuda (live-action Gintama, Under Ninja) directed and wrote the script for the film. Keiya Tabuchi (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time, live-action Attack on Titan, Kamen Rider Amazons) directed the action. CREDEUS is producing the film with Avex Pictures.

The "File 1" film for the Patlabor EZY anime project ranked at #8 in its opening weekend, and earned 99,744,820 yen (about US$627,000) in its first three days. 

The film opened on May 15.

The anime will consist of eight episodes, and will open theatrically as three films. "File 1" (which opened on May 15) and "File 2" (which will open on August 14) contain the anime's first six episodes, and will be in an omnibus format with stand-alone stories. "File 3" will open in March 2027 and will contain the last two episodes, which tell a two-part story.

The story is now set in the 2030s, with Japan facing increased labor shortage and increased automation via AI. Labors, the piloted mecha that was once considered cutting edge technology for manual labor, has become just another part of life, with piloted Labors themselves increasingly being replaced with autonomous robots. SV-2's job of preventing Labor crimes remains the same even in this age, as they use a tuned-up version of their original SV-98 Ingrams.

Yutaka Izubuchi (Patlabor mechanical designer) is directing the anime at J.C. Staff. Kazunori Itō (Patlabor the Mobile Police) is writing the script. Masami Yuuki (Patlabor creator) is designing the characters. Takamitsu Satou (Lostorage incited WIXOSS) is the chief animation director and character designer. Kenji Kawai (Patlabor) is composing the music. GENCO representative director Tarō Maki (Patlabor the Mobile Police, Nodame Cantabile, Millennium Actress) is producing. GAZEN is handling CG production. The HEADGEAR group is credited for the original story. 

Mori Calliope performs the opening theme song "Reimei Compass" (Daybreak Compass), and Mariko Nagai performs the ending theme song "Baton."

The Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei: Yotsuba Keishō-hen (The Irregular at Magic High School THE MOVIE - Yotsuba Succession Arc -) anime film dropped from #5 to #10 in its second weekend. The film earned 62,995,120 yen (about US$396,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 265,415,460 yen (about US$1.66 million).

The film opened at #5. The film sold about 89,000 tickets and earned 152,764,200 yen (about US$967,100) in its first three days.

Jimmy Stone directed the film at 8-Bit. Taku Iwasaki composed the music. Tsutomu Satou was credited for the original story and Kana Ishida was credited for the original character design.

Confirmed returning cast members include Yūichi Nakamura as Tatsuya Shiba, Saori Hayami as Miyuki Shiba, Chiwa Saitō as Maya Yotsuba, and Emiri Katō as Fumiya Kuroba. New cast members include Daisuke Ono as Katsushige Shibata and Ai Kayano as Yuuka Tsukuba.

LiSA performs the theme song "YES."

The Love Live! Hasu no Sora Jogakuin School Idol Club Bloom Garden Party 3D anime film dropped off the top 10 in its second weekend, but still earned 38,863,010 yen (about US$244,300) from Friday to Sunday. The film has earned a cumulative total of 164,487,630 yen (about US$1.03 million).

Shingo Yamashita's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (Chō Kaguya-hime!) anime film is still off the top 10 in its 13th weekend (its 11th weekend was its last time in the top 10), but still earned 27,652,100 yen (about US$173,800) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,526,627,600 yen (about US$15.88 million).

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), comScore via KOFIC