×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

News
Japanese Box Office, July 21-22

posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children debuts at #2; 4th Umizaru live-action film stays at #1

The fourth live-action film based on Shuho Sato's (Say Hello to Black Jack, The Isle of TOKKOU) Umizaru coast guard manga, Brave Hearts Umizaru, stayed at No. 1 during its second weekend. The film adapts the "largest sea disaster" from the original manga: the water landing of a jumbo jet. The film earned US$6,975,357 on 450 screens for a gross-to-date of US$34,956,020.

Mamoru Hosoda's Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children) film debuted at No. 2. This is the latest film by the director of Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The film's story covers 13 years and begins with a 19-year-old college student named Hana who encounters and falls in "fairy tale-like" love with a "wolf man." After marrying the wolf man, Hana gives birth and raises two Wolf Children — an older sister named Yuki ("snow") who was born on a snowy day, and a younger brother named Ame ("rain") who was born on a rainy day. When the wolf man suddenly dies, Hana decides to move to a rural town far removed from the city. The film earned US$4,592,490 on 381 screens.

Gekijōban Pocket Monster Best Wishes! Kyurem Vs Seikenshi Keldeo fell from No. 2 to No. 3 in its second weekend. The film features the new legendary Pokémon, Keldeo. Kunihiko Yuyama returned to direct the film after directing most of the previous films and The Slayers films. The film earned US$3,169,950 on 357 screens for a new total of US$13,736,079.

Mika Ninagawa's Helter Skelter live-action film stayed at No. 4 during its second weekend. Based on Kyoko Okazaki's award-winning Helter Skelter manga, the film stars Erika Sawajiri (SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade, 1 Liter of Tears drama series) as RIRIKO, a model who underwent extensive plastic surgery to attain her beauty. The clinic who performed RIRIKO's surgeries goes under investigation for questionable business practices, and RIRIKO's body starts to deteriorate. As the model's prominence in the entertainment industry begins to falter, so does her sanity. The film earned US$2,152,782 on 204 screens for a new total of US$10,263,918.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's fell from No. 5 to No. 7 in its second weekend. The film is a sequel to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st, which opened in 2010. That film was a retelling of the first series, and creator Masaki Tsuzuki emphasized that it was a "new parallel history." In the second film, the magical girl Nanoha (Yukari Tamura) has a long-awaited reunion, but soon after, she encounters a new peril. The film earned US$601,513 on 51 screens for a new gross-to-date total of US$3,360,497.

The 24th Anpanman film, Soreike! Anpanman Yomigaere Bananajima, fell from No. 7 to No. 8 during its third weekend. In the film, the titular hero, who has a bean-paste pastry (anpan) for a head, must join his allies and stop the dastardly Baikinman from ruining Banana Island. The film ranked at No. 8 on Box Office Mojo's chart and earned US$442,339 on 135 screens for a total of US$3,119,244.

Hideki Takeuchi's live-action Thermae Romae film stayed at No. 10 on Box Office Mojo's chart in its 13th weekend. Based on Mari Yamazaki's manga, the story follows Roman architect Lucius Modestus (Hiroshi Abe), who designs bath-houses in ancient Rome. One day he's sucked into modern-day Japan. Able to travel back and forth in between worlds, Lucius uses Japanese ideas to improve the Roman baths he builds in the past. The film grossed US$247,764 on 194 screens for a total of US$73,693,899.

The live-action film adaptation of Satoru Hiura's women's romance manga Hotaru no Hikari - It's Only Little Light in My Life fell from No. 11 to No. 12 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its seventh weekend. The film is the sequel to the two live-action Hotaru no Hikari television series. Haruka Ayase and Naohito Fujiki are both reprising their roles in the film. The manga follows a 27-year-old office worker Hotaru (Ayase) who is uninterested in love. Hotaru's situation gets complicated as she suddenly finds herself living with her boss, Seiichi Takano (Fujiki). In the film's story, Hotaru and Takano travel to Italy. The film earned US$219,728 on 299 screens for a new total of US$22,720,794.

Gisaburô Sugii's Guskō Budori no Denki (The Life of Guskou Budori) remake film fell from No. 12 to No. 14 during its third weekend. The film adapts Kenji Miyazawa's (Night on the Galactic Railroad) classic fairy tale of a young man named Guskō in the Tohoku forests of northeastern Japan in the 1920s. After an onslaught of droughts and natural disasters, Guskō is forced to leave his home and search for a better life elsewhere. Guskō joins a group of scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, which deals with the same natural disasters that drove Guskō from his home. The film earned US$189,526 on 241 screens for a total of US$2,509,257.

The Starship Troopers: Invasion CG film debuted at No. 16 on Box Office Mojo's chart. The new film draws design cues from Paul Verhoeven's loose 1997 live-action film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's original novel and is directed by Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed). The film earned US$57,067 on 18 screens.

The anime film adaptation of Hiro Arikawa's Library War light novels, Toshokan Sensō: Kakumei no Tsubasa (Library War: The Wings of Revolution), fell from Box Office Mojo's chart in its sixth weekend.

Sources: Kogyo Tsunshinsha, Box Office Mojo


This article has a follow-up: Japanese Box Office, July 28-29 (2012-08-07 04:30)
follow-up of Japanese Box Office, July 14-15
bookmark/share with: short url

News homepage / archives