News

Japanese Box Office, June 8-9

Meitantei Conan: Zekkai no Private Eye (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea), the 17th Detective Conan (Case Closed) film, stayed at #7 in its eighth weekend. The movie is set on a state-of-the art Aegis vessel with the full cooperation of Japan's real-life Ministry of Defense and Maritime Self-Defense Force. The corpse of a Self-Defense Force member has been found — minus the left arm — and a spy has infiltrated the Aegis vessel. The heroine Ran is put in jeopardy, and Conan is forced to stand up against the dangerous Spy "X." Kobun Shizuno is returning from the last few Detective Conan films to direct the latest one at TMS and V1 Studio. The television anime's cast members are reprising their respective roles. The film ranked at #8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 28,182,817 yen (US$298,681) on 344 screens for a new total of 3,437,072,188 yen (US$36,426,091). (Note: last week Box Office Mojo reported that the gross-to-date amount for this film was 3,478,171,015 yen or US$36,861,656.)

This year's Crayon Shin-chan film, Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Bakauma—! B-Kyū Gourmet Survival!!, stayed at #10 in its eighth weekend. In the story, B-grade cuisine is in danger of being wiped out without a special sauce, and it is up to the mischievous kindergartener Shin-chan to ferry the sauce to safety. Masakazu Hashimoto (Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, Tari Tari) is directing his first Crayon Shin-chan movie after storyboarding 2008's Crayon Shin-chan: Chō Arashi o Yobu Kinpoko no Yūsha and 2011's Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi o Yobu Ōgon no Spy Daisakusen. Yoshio Urasawa (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Fushigi Yugi) and Kimiko Ueno (Kuromajyo-san ga Tōru!!) wrote the screenplay. The film ranked at #13 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned 18,781,034 yen (US$199,041) on 330 screens for a new total of 1,226,350,619 yen (US$12,996,863). (Note: last week Box Office Mojo reported that the gross-to-date amount for this film was 1,234,893,230 yen or about US$13,087,398.)

The live-action film adaptation of Hiro Arikawa Toshokan Sensō/Library Wars novels fell from #8 to #10 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its seventh weekend. The film stars V6 idol group member Junichi Okada (Tales from Earthsea, From Up On Poppy Hill) as Atsushi Dōjō, and Nana Eikura (Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru) as Iku Kasahara. Shinsuke Satō (Gantz, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, The Princess Blade, Sand Chronicles) directed the film. The film earned 20,300,708 yen (US$215,146) on 311 screens for a new total of 1,577,121,626 yen (US$16,726,951).

Kenchō Omotenashi-ka, the live-action film based on a novel by Library War/Toshokan Sensō author Hiro Arikawa, fell from #7 to #11 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its fifth weekend. The novel revolves around a prefectural office's newly-established hospitality division, and new member Fumitaka (played by Ryo Nishikido) is charged with planning area promotion. However, Fumitaka quickly realizes he must struggle through a lot of red tape to be able to accomplish his goals. The film earned 19,828,224 yen (US$210,298) on 293 screens for a new total of 581,700,468 yen (US$6,169,515).

Sources: Kogyo Tsushinsha, Box Office Mojo