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Blade of the Immortal Live-Action Film Opens at #6
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Meitantei Conan Kara Kurenai no Love Letter (Detective Conan: Crimson Love Letter), the 21st Detective Conan (Case Closed) anime film, stayed at #2 at the Japanese box office in its third weekend, below Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast film (which opened last week at #1). The newest Detective Conan film is expected to surpass the 6.33-billion-yen (about US$56-million) gross of the previous film, Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, which is currently the record high for the franchise.
The live-action film of Usamaru Furuya's Teiichi no Kuni (Teiichi's Country) manga ranked #4 in its opening weekend on 292 theaters. The film sold 166,000 tickets, and earned 214 million yen (about US$1.91 million) over the weekend. The film opened on Saturday. Akira Nagai (Sekai Kara Neko ga Kieta Nara) directed the film, and Yoshihiro Izumi (live-action Death Note, anohana) penned the script.
Eiga Crayon Shin-chan Shūrai! Uchūjin Shiriri (Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Invasion! Alien Shiriri), the Crayon Shin-chan franchise's 25th anime film, fell from #3 to #5 in its second weekend.
The live-action film of Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal "neo period drama" manga ranked at #6 in its opening weekend on 331 theaters. The film sold 145,000 tickets and earned 189 million yen (about US$1.68 million) over the weekend. The film opened in Japan on Saturday. Prolific filmmaker Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Yatterman, As the Gods Will, Crows) directed the film.
The second live-action film based on Chika Umino's March comes in like a lion (Sangatsu no Lion) manga fell from #4 to #8 in its second weekend. In the film's opening two days last week, the film sold 96,000 tickets to earn 128 million yen (about US$1.2 million). The opening weekend total was about 88.6% that of the first film's opening weekend total from March 18-19.
The Eiga Kami-sama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama: Kiseki o Okose ♪ Teppuru to Dokidoki Cocotama Kai (God Apprentices: Secretive Cocotama Movie: Make a Miracle ♪ Teppuru and the Heart-Pounding Cocotama World) anime film based on Bandai's Kami-sama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama (God Apprentices: Secretive Cocotama) television anime series ranked #10 in its opening weekend on 151 theaters. The film opened in Japan last Friday.
The live-action Ghost in the Shell film, Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Nankyoku Kachi Kochi Daibōken, and the Free! -Timeless Medley- Kizuna compilation film fell off the rankings this past weekend.
Makoto Shinkai's your name. film has earned a total of 24.92 billion yen (about US$222 million) in Japan, which is which is 580 million yen (about US$5.1 million) less than the #3 movie of all time in Japan, Frozen.
Sources: Eiga.com, Kogyo Tsushin
