News

1st SAO: Progressive Film Debuts at #1, Tropical-Rouge! Precure Drops to #4

The Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night anime film topped Japan's box office in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on Saturday in standard and IMAX theaters. The film sold approximately 225,000 tickets and earned about 349 million yen (about US$3.06 million) in its first two days.

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

Funimation will present the film in both standard and IMAX theaters in the United States and Canada on December 3 and 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 screen in Japanese with English subtitles and with an English dub.

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.

Eiga Tropical-Rouge! Precure: Yuki no Princess to Kiseki no Yubiwa! (Tropical-Rouge! Precure the Movie: The Snow Princess and the Miraculous Ring), the new anime film for the Tropical-Rouge! Precure anime, dropped from #1 to #4 in its second weekend. The film earned 96,561,460 yen (about US$847,200) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 310,886,480 yen (about US$2.72 million).

The film ranked at #1 in its opening weekend. The film earned 169,625,170 yen (about US$1.48 million) over the opening weekend and sold about 141,000 tickets in its first two days.

The film opened in Japan on October 23.

The film takes place in the wintry land of Shantia, with Manatsu and the others invitied to the land by its princess Sharon. But as they arrive, a mysterious monster attacks Shantia, and it is closed off to outsiders.

Junji Shimizu (Futari wa Pretty Cure: Max Heart) directed the film, and Yoshimi Narita (Yes! Precure 5) penned the script. Shiho Terada returned from Tropical-Rouge! Precure to compose the music. Ken Ueno (Heartcatch Precure! Hana no Miyako de Fashion Show…Desu ka!?) was the character designer and chief animation director. Takashi Kurahashi was the art director, and Naomi Kiyota was the color designer. Yusuke Osone was the CGI director. Kenji Takahashi was the director of photography. Masahiro Murakami is credited as production manager. The film's theme song is titled "Shantia ~Shiawase no Kuni~" (Shantia ~Land of Happiness~).

Uchū no Hō: Elohim-hen (The Laws of the Universe: Elohim Chapter), the newest film in The Laws of the Universe film series by controversial religious organization Happy Science (Kōfuku no Kagaku), dropped from #4 to #5 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 71,697,690 yen (about US$629,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 674,048,790 yen (about US$5.91 million).

The film opened on October 8 and sold about 170,000 tickets to earn more than 200 million yen (about US$1,756,000) in its first three days.

Isamu Imakake returned as director, character designer, and chief animation director of this new installment. Yūichi Mizusawa also returned as composer. Sayaka Ōkawa penned the script. Yumiko Awaya is once again credited as visual effects creative director. Happy Science founder Ryuho Okawa is credited with the original work and as the chief production supervisor for the film.

Uchū no Hō: Elohim-hen is the second film in a planned trilogy. The Laws of the Universe: Part 1 opened in Japan in October 2018. Eleven Arts Anime Studio hosted the film's world premiere with an English dub at the Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles earlier that month.

The Laws of the Universe Part 0, the film that sets up the trilogy's story, premiered in Los Angeles in September 2016. Eleven Arts then screened the film in selected theaters in the U.S. and Canada in October of that year, and the film opened in Japan in the same month. The film screened in North America with an English dub.

The Poupelle Of Chimney Town film is off the top 10, but still earned 18,263,200 yen (about US$160,200) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,467,904,450 yen (about US$21.64 million).

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin, Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC