Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron Drops to #2, Live-Action Tokyo Revengers 2 Rises to #3 – News

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 #1 to #2 at the Japanese box office in its second weekend. The film sold 529,000 tickets for 831 million yen (about US$5.87 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 2.32 million tickets for a cumulative total of 3.6 billion yen (about US$25.43 million).

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).

The second part of Tokyo Revengers 2, the two sequel live-action films based on Ken Wakui‘s Tokyo Revengers manga, rose from #4 to #3 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 116,189,040 yen (about US$821,100) from Friday to Sunday, and has sold a cumulative total of 1.36 million tickets for 1,804,427,740 yen (about US$12.75 million).

The film opened at #1 on on June 30. It earned 605,494,180 yen (about US$4.19 million) in its first three days and sold 469,600 tickets.

The first sequel film Chi no Halloween -Unmei- (Bloody Halloween -Fate-) opened on April 21.

Takumi Kitamura returns to play Takemichi Hanagaki in the sequel films. Other returning cast members include Ryō Yoshizawa as Mikey and Yuki Yamada as Draken. Director Tsutomu Hanabusa and producer Shota Okada also return. Kento Nagayama joins the cast as Keisuke Baji, while Nijirō Murakami also joins as Kazutora Hanemiya, and Mahiro Takasugi joins as Chifuyu Matsuno. Taketo Tanaka plays Chome. SUPER BEAVER performs the theme song “Gradation” for the first film, while the band also performs the theme song “Hakanakunai” (Not Merely Fleeting) for the second film.

The first live-action Tokyo Revengers film opened in Japan in July 2021 and was the #1 live-action film in Japan in 2021. Crunchyroll is streaming the film worldwide excluding Asia, Spain, and Latin America.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie stayed at #5 in its 13th weekend at the Japanese box office. The film earned 91,105,440 yen (about US$644,100) in its 13th weekend, and has earned a cumulative total of 13,216,273,520 yen (about US$93.45 milliom).

The film sold 1.276 million tickets and earned 1.843 billion yen (about US$13.54 million) in its first three days in Japan.

The film is now the #3 all-time highest-earning animated film worldwide if Disney’s 2019 CG film The Lion King is counted as animated, or #2 if not.

The film opened in the U.S. and in over 60 markets worldwide on April 5.

The film has been the highest-grossing film of 2023 worldwide. The film is also the highest-earning video game adaptation in history.

Gekijо̄ban IDOLiSH7 LIVE 4bit BEYOND THE PERiOD, the theatrical anime concert for the IDOLiSH7 multimedia franchise, stayed at #7 in its 10th weekend. The film earned 132,926,450 yen (about US$939.900) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 1.17 million tickets, and earned a cumulative total of 2,065,969,901 yen (about US$14.60 million).

The concert opened in Japan on May 20 and earned 220 million yen (about US$1.58 million) in its opening weekend. The 16 cast members of the IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, Re: vale, and ŹOOĻ units reprised their roles from the anime series and games.

Hiroshi Nishikiori (Argonavis from BanG Dream!) and Kensuke Yamamoto (Trigun Stampede VFX art director) directed the anime at Orange. IDOLiSH7 creator Bunta Tsushimi wrote the screenplay. Arina Tanemura (IDOLiSH7, Full Moon o Sagashite) is credited for the original character design. Hitomi Miyazaki designed the characters. Eiji Inomoto (Trigun Stampede) was the CG chief director.

The Quintessential Quintuplets ∽ (Gotōbun no Hanayome∽), the new anime special in The Quintessential Quintuplets franchise, dropped from #3 to #8 in its second weekend. The film earned 56,186,100 yen (about US$397,300) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 311,981,160 yen (about US$2.20 million).

The anime opened in Japanese theaters on July 14 and sold 167,000 tickets, earning 191 million yen (about US$1.38 million) in its first three days. It sold 195,000 tickets to earn 222 million yen (about US$1.60 million) over the four-day long weekend.

The anime will also air on television as a special this summer.

The cast for the quintuplets – Kana Hanazawa, Ayana Taketatsu, Miku Itō, Ayane Sakura, and Inori Minase – performed the anime’s opening theme song “Gotōbun no Mirai” (Five Equal Futures) and the ending theme song “Takaramono” (Treasure).

The anime adapts stories that have not yet appeared in the previous anime projects.

The First Slam Dunk, the new anime film of Takehiko Inoue‘s Slam Dunk basketball manga, landed back in the rankings at #10 in its 34th weekend. The film earned 45,566,770 yen (US$322,100) from Friday to Sunday, selling a cumulative total of 10.33 million tickets to earn 14,900,403,870 yen (about US$105.3 million).

The film is now the 14th highest-earning film of all time in Japan, surpassing Makoto Shinkai‘s Suzume and Weathering With You films, which now rank 15th and 16th respectively. The film has surpassed Suzume‘s 14.79 billion yen (about US$106 million) domestic earnings, and Weathering With You‘s 14.23 billion yen (about US$102 million) earnings, making 14.84 billion yen (around US$106.4 million) as of July 17 has. The film is also now the eighth highest-earning anime film in Japan.

The film will end its run in Japanese theaters on August 31.

The film opened in Japan on December 3, ranked at #1 in its opening weekend. The film sold 847,000 tickets and earned 1,295,808,780 yen (about US$9.50 million) over its opening weekend. The film won Animation of the Year at the 46th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes. Toshiyuki Matsui, the film’s producer, received this year’s general award for Eiga Engeki Bunka Kyōkai’s (Film Theater Culture Association) 42nd annual Fujimoto Awards. By June, the film had sold over 10 million tickets to earn 14.43 billion yen (about US$103.5 million) in Japan, after about a half a year in theaters.

GKIDS will release the film in the United States and Canada with both an English dub and with Japanese audio and English subtitles on July 28.

Inoue personally directed the film at Toei Animation and wrote the script. Among the listed staff members are character designer/animation director Yasuyuki Ebara (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) and technical directors Katsuhiko Kitada (Attack on Titan episodes, Major: Yūjō no Winning Shot), Naoki Miyahara (Digimon Adventure, Popin Q), Toshio Ōhashi (LayereD Stories 0), and Yū Kamatani (Looking for Magical DoReMi, Precure Super Stars!). Daiki Nakazawa directed the CG, and Yūta Ogura produced the CG. Kazuo Ogura directed the art. Yota Tsuruoka directed the sound with Koji Kasamatsu.

Soreike! Anpanman Roboly to Pokapoka Present, the 34th anime film in the Anpanman franchise, dropped off the top 10 in its fourth weekend, but still earned 32,578,550 yen (about US$230,400) from Friday to Sunday. The film has earned a cumulative total of 356,275,790 yen (about US$2.52 million).

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rule the Stage-: Fling Posse VS Mad Trigger Crew -Cinema Edit-, a theatrical film presentation of a Hypnosis Mic stage play, debuted at #2 on the Mini Theater Ranking chart.

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