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Shinkalion Anime Film Opens at #8 in Japan During December 28-29 Weekend

Editor's Note: As of press time KOFIC has yet to reveal earnings totals for the weekend of December 28-29, and Eiga.com will not reveal earnings totals for that weekend. This article therefore does not contain any new earnings totals.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, the second film in the My Hero Academia franchise, stayed at #3 in its second weekend, during the weekend of December 28-29. The film opened on December 20 on 313 screens, and sold 224,000 tickets on December 21-22 and earned 283 million yen (about US$2.59 million) on those two days. From December 20-22 the film earned 422,479,000 yen (about US$3.86 million).

As with the previous My Hero Academia: Two Heroes film, manga creator Kohei Horikoshi had overall supervision of the film, and handled the original character designs. Kenji Nagasaki and Yousuke Kuroda returned from the series and the previous film as the director and scriptwriter, respectively. Yoshihiko Umakoshi returned to design the characters, and Yuuki Hayashi once again composed the music. BONES animated the film. Rock band sumika performed the theme song "Higher Ground."

Kamen Rider Reiwa: The First Generation fell from #4 to #5 in its second weekend. The film opened on December 21 and earned 248,578,270 yen (about US$2.27 million) on December 21-22.

Eiga Yōkai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Gakuen Y - Neko wa Hero ni Nareru ka (Yo-kai Watch Jam the Movie: Yo-Kai Academy Y - Can a Cat be a Hero?), the sixth film in the Yo-kai Watch franchise, rose from #7 to #6 in its third weekend. The film has earned 224,349,950 yen (about US$2.05 million) total as of December 22.

The new film's story is set in Y-Academy, an elite school that only allows students with top class abilities to enter. The protagonist Jinpei Jiba and his unique friends take on the mysteries of the school as transforming heroes.

Yo-kai Gakuen Y ~N to no Sōgū~ (Yo-Kai Academy Y: An Encounter With N), the new Yo-kai Watch anime series, continues the film's story in the same academy setting. The series premiered on December 27.

The live-action film of Rin Mikimoto's Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight (Gozen 0-ji, Kiss Shi ni Kite yo) manga fell from #6 to #7 in its fourth weekend. The film had earned a cumulative total of 613,484,200 yen (about US$5.61 million) as of December 22.

The film opened in Japan on December 6 on 255 screens. Takehiko Shinjō directed the film, with a script by Haruka Ōkita. GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE's Ryota Katayose stars in the film as Kaede Ayasa, and Kanna Hashimoto stars as Hinana Hanazawa.

Kodansha Comics publishes the manga in English.

Gekijō-ban Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: Mirai Kara Shinsoku no ALFA-X (Shinkansen-Transforming Robot Shinkalion the Movie: The Mythically Fast ALFA-X That Came From Future), the anime film based on the Shinkalion toy line, opened in Japan on December 27, and ranked at #8 for the December 28-29 weekend.

Rie Kugimiya joins the cast as a nine-year-old Hokuto, the father of protagonist Hayato. Hokuto travels from the past to the present and helps Hayato protect Earth from a new threat, and also to find his way back to his own time. Kentaro Ito and Kōtarō Yoshida also join the cast as the antagonists Nahane and Ohanef, respectively.

Takahiro Ikezoe (Show By Rock!!, PriPri Chii-chan!!) returned from the television series to direct the film at OLM. Writer Kento Shimoyama (Bleach, Armed Girl's Machiavellism) and character designer Yuka Aono (Brave Beats) also returned.

Lupin III THE FIRST, the new anime film in Monkey Punch's Lupin III franchise, dropped off the top 10 list in its fourth weekend.

Sources: Eiga.com, Kōgyō Tsūshin