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Live-Action Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Film's Reception Threatens Potential for Sequels

The staff behind the live-action JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable film had their sights set on major fanfare and a possible sequel, but the film series may end before its second installment. The film's title is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond wa Kudakenai Dai-Ichi-Shō (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I), although the staff have not yet confirmed additional installments for the series.

The film opened on 325 screens in Japan on August 4, and ranked #5 on its opening weekend. The film dropped to #11 in its second weekend. According to insiders, the film's mediocre box-office reception may mean that a major film franchise based on Hirohiko Araki's manga is unattainable now. They said that the number of people who attend screenings from now on will determine whether the film will have a sequel.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond wa Kudakenai Dai-Ichi-Shō's performance has been lackluster compared to other live-action film adaptations of manga that opened in Japan this year. In its first weekend, the film sold 117,000 tickets to earn a total of 166 million yen (about US$1.5 million). The live-action Tokyo Ghoul film, which opened the previous week, sold 166,000 tickets to earn a total of 232 million yen (US$2.1 million) in its first weekend. The film also debuted at #5 on box-office ranking charts.

The live-action Gintama film, perhaps this year's most successful live-action production based on manga so far, opened on July 14. The film sold 393,000 tickets to earn a total of 541 million yen (US$4.9 million) in its opening weekend. For the above comparisons, the opening weekend refers to the two-day period of Saturday and Sunday in the first week the films opened.

Some fans had criticized the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond wa Kudakenai Dai-Ichi-Shō's character visuals before the film premiered. Seeing the film's negative pre-release reception, the filmmakers held events and released videos shortly before the opening. However, it seems those proactive measure were insufficient to encourage fans to attend screenings.

On the other hand, some people who saw the film have posted positive reviews on Twitter and elsewhere online. Some fans of the original manga approve of the film, and many people are discussing the work online. Many commenters believe the characters' appearances are harsh but think they fit in when combined with the set and the world of the movie as a whole.

The film held its world premiere at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) in Switzerland on July 2, and it won the RTS Audience Award. The film also screened at Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival last month.

Prolific filmmaker Takashi Miike (live-action Terraformars, Ace Attorney, Crows Zero, Yatterman, For Love's Sake, Ichi the Killer) directed the movie.

The cast includes:

• Kento Yamazaki as Jōsuke Higashikata
• Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Hirose
• Nana Komatsu as Yukako Yamagishi
• Masaki Okada as Keichō Nijimura
• Mackenyu as Okuyasu Nijimura
• Takayuki Yamada as Anjūrō "Angelo" Katagiri
• Yusuke Iseya as Jōtarō Kūjō
• Alisa Mizuki as Tomoko Higashikata
• Jun Kunimura as Ryōhei Higashikata

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable is the fourth part of Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga. The story is set in Morioh, located in S City in M Prefecture of Japan, and it follows the misadventures of Jōsuke Higashikata and his companions, as they are involved in a series of bizarre incidents in their town.

Source: Oricon News via Yaraon!