News

2nd Sword Art Online Progressive Film Opens at #1, One Piece Film Red Falls to #3

Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Kuraki Yūyami no Scherzo (Scherzo of a Dark Dusk), the second film in the Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- anime film series, opened at #1 in both tickets sold and box office totals this past weekend in Japan. The film opened in regular screenings on Saturday, October 22, but opened on IMAX and 4DX screenings one day earlier on Friday, October 21.

The film sold 199,000 tickets on Saturday and Sunday and earned 323,038,836 yen (about US$2.17 million) over the weekend, but sold a total of 209,000 tickets and earned 343,531,796 yen (about US$2.30 million) over its first three days from Friday to Sunday.

The film features a returning cast. In addition, Kaede Hondo plays Liten, and Yūsuke Kobayashi plays Morte.

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

Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, the first anime film in the project, opened in Japan in October 2021, and topped the box office in its first weekend.

The live-action film of Katsutoshi Murase and Welzard's Karada Sagashi (Body Search) horror manga stayed at #2 in its second weekend. The film sold 124,000 tickets over the weekend and earned 147,773,060 yen (about US$993,000) from Friday to Sunday. The film has earned a total of 484,442,100 yen (about US$3.25 million) and sold 390,000 tickets.

The film opened on October 14.

Kanna Hashimoto plays protagonist Asuka Morisaki, and director Eiichirō Hasumi (Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, live-action Assassination Classroom) reunited with Hashimoto for the first time in six years. Harumi Doki penned the script, and Yūgo Kanno composed the film's music.

Welzard's original cellphone novel on the Everystar site inspired Murase's manga adaptation. The manga inspired a series of anime shorts that debuted on Production I.G's Tate Anime (now Anime Beans) app in July 2017.

The One Piece Film Red anime fell from #1 to #3 in its 12th weekend at the Japanese box office. The film sold 104,000 tickets over the weekend, and earned 141,164,400 yen (about US$948,600) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 12.5 million tickets for a cumulative total of 17,355,747,850 yen (about US$116 million).

One Piece Film Red opened in Japan on August 6. The movie has become the franchise's highest-selling and highest-earning film installment, in terms of both the number of tickets sold and yen earned at the box office. The film has also topped Top Gun: Maverick to become the highest-earning film to open in Japan so far this year. The anime is both the #6 all-time highest-earning anime film in Japan and the #9 all-time highest earning film in Japan.

The film centers on a new character named Uta, Shanks' daughter. Kaori Nazuka is the speaking voice of Uta, while Ado is the character's singing voice. Ado also performs the film's theme song "Shinjidai" ("New Genesis"). Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass, One Piece: Defeat The Pirate Ganzak! special) directed One Piece Film Red. Tsutomu Kuroiwa (One Piece Film Gold, One Piece: Heart of Gold, GANTZ:O, live-action Black Butler) wrote the screenplay, and One Piece manga creator Eiichiro Oda himself served as executive producer.

The live-action sequel film based on Aoi Hiiragi's Whisper of the Heart (Mimi o Sumaseba) manga dropped from #4 to #6 in its second weekend. The film earned 68,929,550 yen (about US$463,200) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 321,323,270 yen (about US$2.15 million).

Yūichirō Hirakawa (live-action The Promised Neverland, ERASED/Boku dake ga Inai Machi, Waiting for Spring, Rookies, JIN projects) directed the movie. Anne Watanabe performed a cover of Michio Yamagami's popular folk song "Tsubasa o Kudasai" as the film's theme song.

The original manga inspired an anime film by Yoshifumi Kondō and Studio Ghibli in 1995.

Gekijō-ban Utano☆Princesama♪ Maji Love ST☆RISH Tours, the latest film in the Utano☆Princesama franchise, dropped from #6 to #10 in its eighth weekend. The film earned 39,222,840 yen (about US$263,500) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,390,934,150 yen (about US$9.34 million).

The film ranked at #7 in its opening weekend. The film sold 86,500 tickets and earned 140 million yen (about US$996,400) in its first three days. The film earned about 69.61 million yen (about US$495,400) on its opening day on September 2, earning 63% more than the previous film in the franchise, Uta no Prince Sama Maji Love Kingdom, did on its first day when it opened in Japan in June 2019.

The film — described as part of a "new theatrical film series" — is entirely composed of concert footage of the ST☆RISH idol group. Noriyasu Agematsu was once again credited as the original creator with Broccoli. Elements Garden composed the music, and A-1 Pictures produced the film. Shochiku is distributing the film.

Eiga Delicious Party♡Precure Yume Miru ♡ Okosama Lunch (Delicious Party Precure The Movie: The Dreaming Child's Lunch), the anime film for the Delicious Party♡Precure anime, dropped off the top 10 in its fifth weekend.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, comScore via KOFIC