third Dwell-Motion Kingdom Movie Drops to #4, The Boy and the Heron to #5

Kingdom: Unmei no Honō (Flames of Destiny), the third live-action film based on Yasuhisa Hara‘s Kingdom manga, dropped from #3 to #4 at the Japanese box office in its sixth weekend. The film earned 164,009,360 yen (about US$1.11 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 3,435,000 tickets to earn a cumulative total of 4,915,601,020 yen (about US$33.52 million).

The film opened in Japan on July 28 and sold 703,530 tickets to earn 1,050,708,610 yen (about US$7.39 million) in its first three days. The film now has the best opening weekend among all three Kingdom films, and now also has the best opening (in terms of ticket sales) among live-action films in Japan in 2023.

The film covers the manga’s Shi Ka (Zi Xia) arc and the Battle of Bayou — the first time Shin (Xin) and Ō Ki (Wang Qi) stood on the battlefield together, to fend off the invasion by the mighty Chō (Zhao) from the north. Anne (Anne Watanabe) joined the cast as the pivotal character Shi Ka (Zi Xia). Other new cast members include Kataoka Ainosuke VI as Fuu Ki (Feng Ji), Kōji Yamamoto as Chō Sō (Zhao Zhuang), Yuki Yamada as Man Goku (Wan Ji), Eri Murakawa as You Li (Yū Ri), and Hinako Sakurai as Dong Mei (Tō Bi).

Kento Yamazaki, Ryō Yoshizawa, Takao Osawa, and Kanna Hashimoto all reprised their respective characters Shin (Xin), Ei Sei (Yin Zheng), Ō Ki (Wang Qi), and Ka Ryō Ten (He Liao Diao), respectively, from the two previous films. Nana Seino, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Kōichi Satō from the second film also reprised their respective characters Kyо̄ Kai, Sho Hei Kun (Lord Changping), and Ryo Fui (Lu Buwei).

Shinsuke Satō (live-action Gantz, Death Note Light up the NEW world, Bleach) returned as director. Hara and Tsutomu Kuroiwa (One Piece Film Gold, live-action Black Butler, GANTZ:O) returned to write the script.

Hayao Miyazaki‘s latest feature film The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, or literally How Do You Live?) dropped from #4 to #5 at the Japanese box office in its eighth weekend. The film earned 164,245,500 yen (about US$1.12 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has earned a cumulative total of 7,736,903,300 yen (about US$52.76 million). It is now the #88 highest-grossing film in Japan, and the #22 highest-grossing anime film in Japan.

The film sold 1.003 million tickets and earned about US$13.2 million in its first three days in Japan. The film sold 1.353 million tickets and earned 2.149 billion yen (about US$15.53 million) in its Friday-Monday long weekend (July 17 was the Marine Day holiday in Japan).

The film opened simultaneously on IMAX with its general release in Japan on July 14. The film earned more than Miyazaki’s celebrated Academy Award-winning 2001 film Spirited Away in its first four days, and earned 50% more than his 2013 film The Wind Rises. The film exceeded US$1.7 million from 44 IMAX screens, which is a new three-day opening record, according to entertainment news website Deadline.

The film is the first Studio Ghibli film to get a simultaneous IMAX release. The film is also screening in Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema, and DTS:X.

GKIDS licensed the film, and it will release it in North American theaters later this year.

Miyazaki is credited with the original work, in addition to directing the film and writing the script. Takeshi Honda (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Rebuild of Evangelion films) is the animation director. Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) composed the music. Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is the producer. Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, March comes in like a lion) performs the theme song “Chikyūgi” (Globe).

Shin Jigen! Crayon Shin-chan The Movie Chōnōryoku Dai Kessen: Tobetobe Temakizushi (New Dimension! Crayon Shin-chan the Movie Super-Powered Climactic Battle: Soaring Hand-Rolled Sushi), the Crayon Shin-chan franchise‘s first 3DCG anime film, dropped from #6 to #8 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 83,034,080 yen (about US$566,300) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,170,802,910 yen (about US$14.80 million).

The film opened on August 4, and ranked at #2 in its opening weekend. The film sold 322,000 tickets in its first three days, and earned 401 million yen (about US$2.8 million).

The film’s story shows kindergartener Shinnosuke gaining telekinetic superpowers after a white light from space passes through Earth. A counterpart black light gives a man named Mitsuru Hiriya psychic powers of his own, which he uses to try and destroy the Earth. While Japan is gripped by fear, Shinnosuke stands up as its new hero.

The film is the 31st in the Crayon Shin-chan franchise, and it took seven years to make from the planning stages. Hitoshi Ōne (Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom? screenplay; director for live-action Akihabara @ DEEP, Bakuman. adaptations) both directed the film and wrote the screenplay. Shirogumi Inc. animated the film.

The live-action film adaptation of Toshio Ozawa’s G Men manga dropped from #2 to #9 in its second weekend. The film earned 86,222,200 yen (about US$588,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 392,330,180 yen (about US$2.67 million).

The film opened last August 25.

The manga’s story centers on Shōta Kadomatsu, a student who dreams of getting a girlfriend, and a new transferee to Takehana High School, an all-boys high school that is adjacent to four all-girls high schools. Because of this, Takehana students are rumored to be all but guaranteed to get a girlfriend. But when Shōta transfers into the school, he is put in Class G, the hopeless class filled with all the losers trouble students of the school, from delinquents to nerds, whose members are ignored by all girls.

Tōichirō Rutō directed the film, with a script by Masato Katō and Maruo Maruichirō.

Ozawa launched the manga in Akita Shoten‘s Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in November 2014, and ended it in March 2018. Akita Shoten published 18 compiled book volumes for the manga.

The anime film of Akira Toriyama‘s SAND LAND manga is still off the top 10 in its third weekend, but the film still earned 51,925,200 yen (about US$354,100) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 437,757,870 yen (about US$2.98 million).

Studio Trigger‘s re-screening of Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood’s End-–, the first of two compilation films of Gainax‘s Gurren Lagann anime, dropped from #1 to #3 in the mini-theater ranking in its second weekend. The film ranked #1 in its opening weekend.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2, link 3), comScore via KOFIC