'Beginning Today It Is My Turn' Takes #1 Box Office Opening in Japan for Toho Co., Ltd
Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2020 – One of the most highly-anticipated films of 2020 “Beginning Today It Is My Turn” has exceeded Japanese Box Office expectations from its opening weekend, tracking for 5 billion JPY (approx. $50 million USD) in over the 359 theaters. The film takes the #1 Japanese Box Office opening spot for 2020. The highest grossing live-action film in Japan in 2019 was “Lion King,” which grossed JPY 6.6 billion (approx. $66 million USD) topping the charts.
“We are beyond thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive audience response that ‘Beginning Today It Is My Turn’ has received, which has far exceeded our expectations from the opening weekend alone,” said Koji Ueda, General Manager, International Business Department, Toho Co., LTD. “We've seen the film become a destination for not only a group of friends to enjoy, but for those on a family outing or even a date night. From the strong storyline to its comedic flair, this film holds the power to bring together people of all ages, and we hope fans continue to laugh and connect with the movie like how we've seen so far.”
The comedy-drama feature film about high school gangs follows the widely successful TV show that aired on Nippon TV from October to December 2018. The franchise is based on comic books that were serialized over the course of 10 years (1988-1997) on Shonen Sunday Comics Specials and Weekly Shonen Sunday, which sold over 40 million copies to date. The manga by Hiroyuki Nishimori was well-adapted by the writer-director Yūichi Fukuda (“Gintama,” “Saint Young Man”) and Kento Kaku, the star which Yuichi highly respects.
“I'll do whatever I can to win a fight” is the motto of Mihashi, the protagonist of the story played by Kento Kaku, a 31-year-old whose roles have ranged from comedy to serious acting. Itoh, Mihashi's spiky-haired buddy, played by Kentaro Itō, believes he should “Never lose a fight against injustice.” They are supported by all 18 unique and lovable characters from the TV series, such as Riko (Nana Seino), an only daughter of a martial artist, who is close to Mihashi but too shy to show her affection, and Kyoko Hayakawa (Kanna Hashimoto), a female gang member and girlfriend of Itoh.
Excited fans have shown their strong support for “Beginning Today It Is My Turn” since it was first announced, and that has shined through based on the film's successful box office numbers. The polls from opening day revealed turnout for the film was 60% female and 40% male, with wide-ranging age demographics from teens to seniors. When moviegoers were asked to provide the reason for why they came to the movie theater, the majority said it was due to the successful TV drama, sharing the answer “I liked the TV series” (64.1%), followed by “Story seemed interesting (28.8%),” “I like the cast member(s) (26.6%),” “I like comedy (26.6%),” and “I like the director-writer Yūichi Fukuda (12.6%).” (*Multiple answers were allowed)
With 96.5% of the customers rating the movie “highly positive,” TOHO sees a long-run for the film with the upcoming four-day holiday weekend, followed by the start of summer vacation.
Result of the Opening Weekend (July 17, 18, 19 Total)
Theater: 359 theatres
Box Office: 787,588,600 JPY ($7,340,437.59 USD)
Admissions: 604,642
About Toho Co., LTD.:
TOHO Company, Limited, is a Japanese entertainment studio focused on the development, production, exhibition, and distribution of powerful content for motion pictures, television and theater. Founded in 1932, it remains a prominent force in bringing brands and original storytelling with versatile talents to audiences worldwide. Its subsidiaries include TOHO CINEMAS, the highest grossing exhibition company in Japan. To learn more, visit: www.TOHO.co.jp/en/.
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