News

2nd Sumikko Gurashi Film Falls to #4, 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' Stays at #6 at Box Office

Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahō no Ko (The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night), the second film in San-X's Sumikko Gurashi franchise, dropped from #3 to #4 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 74,030,720 yen (about US$651,900) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a total of 951,869,980 yen (about US$8.38 million).

The film opened in Japan on November 5, and sold about 200,000 tickets to earn about 250 million yen (about US$2.22 million) in its first three days.

Takahiro Ōmori (Durarara!!, Natsume's Book of Friends, Princess Jellyfish) directed the film. Reiko Yoshida (Violet Evergarden, Lu over the Wall, K-ON!) penned the script, and Kaori Hino (Modest Heroes, Napping Princess) returned from the first film as the art director. Fanworks returned to animate the film, and Asmik Ace is distributing.

In the film's story, the main characters go on a camping trip one day in the fall, and that night they recall a legend: that once every five years, on the night of a large and blue full moon, magical creatures will visit the town. The characters look up, only to see a large and blue moon overhead.

Sumikko Gurashi debuted in 2012 as slightly negative characters who like to stay in the corner of a room. The characters include "Shirokuma," a polar bear who is sensitive to cold; "Penguin?" (with a question mark in its name), a penguin who is unsure if it is actually a penguin; "Tonkatsu," a piece of pork cutlet that was left uneaten; "Neko," a shy cat; and "Tokage," who hides his nature as one of the last dinosaurs.

The live action film adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Kinō Nani Tabeta?) manga stayed at #6 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 37,049,000 yen (about US$326,200) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,214,862,100 yen (about US$10.69 million).

The film premiered in Japan on November 3, and sold 100,000 tickets to earn about 145 million yen (about US$1.28 million) from November 6-7.

Seiyo Uchino and Hideotshi Nishijima reprised their roles from the manga's live-action television series adaptation as Kenji Yabuki and Shirō Kakei, respectively. Kazuhito Nakae and Naoko Adachi also returned from the live-action series as director and scriptwriter, respectively. Other cast members including Kōji Yamamoto, Hayato Isomura, Makita Sports, Misako Tanaka, and Meiko Kaji returned as their characters Daisaku Kohinata, Wataru Inoue, Hiroshi Miyake, Kayoko Tominaga, and Hisae Kakei, respectively.

The manga centers on a hard-working middle-aged gay couple in Tokyo and the food they share together at the dinner table.

The Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night anime film rose from #9 to #7 in its sixth weekend. The film earned 33,490,280 yen (about US$294,900) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,277,033,413 yen (about US$11.24 million).

The movie opened in Japan on October 30 in standard and IMAX theaters, and topped the box office in its first weekend.

Funimation screened the film in both standard and IMAX theaters in the United States and Canada on December 3 and will screen the film in Australia and New Zealand on December 9. The movie will also screen soon in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latin America. The film will open in over 40 countries and territories around the world. Odex will screen the film in Southeast Asia this year.

Ayako Kohno (unit director on Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic, High School Fleet, The Seven Deadly Sins the Movie: Prisoners of the Sky) directed the film at A-1 Pictures, and Kento Toya (Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld, The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments) designed the characters. Yasuyuki Kai served as action director, and Yuki Kajiura returned to compose the music.

A new film titled Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Kuraki Yūyami no Scherzo (Scherzo of a Dark Dusk) will open in 2022.

Mogura no Uta Final, the newest live-action film based on Noboru Takahashi's Mogura no Uta manga, dropped from #7 to #9 in its third weekend. The film earned 27,625,500 yen (about US$243,300) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 323,082,650 yen (about US$2.84 million).

The film opened in Japan on November 19. The story revolves around Reiji Kikukawa, a police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a gangster syndicate.

Mogura no Uta: Senyū Sōsakan Reiji, the first live-action film based on Mogura no Uta, opened in February 2014. Mogura no Uta: Hong Kong Kyōsōkyoku, the second film, opened in December 2016.

Takahashi launched Mogura no Uta in Shogakukan's Weekly Young Sunday magazine in 2005, but he moved the manga to Weekly Big Comic Spirits after Weekly Young Sunday ceased publication in 2008. Shogakukan published the 74th compiled book volume on November 12.

Aria the Benedizione, the third anime film for the Aria franchise, debuted at #10. The film opened in Japan on Friday. The film earned 55,942,380 yen (about US$492,600) in its first three days.

Aria the Benedizione is the third and final project in the "Blue Curtain Call" series that includes Aria the Avvenire and Aria the Crepuscolo.

Junichi Sato, who directed all previous Aria anime, returned as chief director and scriptwriter, while Takahiro Natori, an episode director and storyboarder from previous Aria anime, was the new director at J.C. Staff. Yoko Ito (Amanchu!, Skate-Leading Stars) was the character designer and chief animation director. Choro Club and Takeshi Senoo returned from previous Aria anime to provide the music. Shochiku produced the film, and Shochiku ODS Jigyō-shitsu is distributing.

"Summer Ghost," the anime directorial debut of illustrator loundraw (I want to eat your pancreas, Josee, The Tiger and the Fish, Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-), stayed at #5 in the mini-theater rankings in its fourth weekend.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC