The latest weekend at the Japanese box office delivered a vibrant mix of consistent hits and fresh debuts, with familiar animated faces holding their ground while a live-action comedy made a notable entry.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie Continues Cosmic Run
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the highly anticipated sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, has settled into a comfortable spot at #4 in its eighth weekend. Despite a slight dip from #2, the film demonstrated impressive staying power, earning 104,590,750 yen (about US$651,300) from Friday to Sunday. Its cumulative total now stands at a staggering 7,519,717,110 yen (about US$46.82 million). The film originally launched to immense success, opening at #1 and raking in 1,601,093,600 yen (about US$9.96 million) from 1.121 million tickets in its first three days. Produced by Illumination and Universal Pictures in collaboration with Nintendo, with key creative talent returning from the previous installment, this sequel continues to enchant audiences across Japan.
Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi Maintains Strong Presence
Not far behind, Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi, the 29th film in the beloved Detective Conan franchise, dropped slightly from #4 to #5 in its impressive 10th weekend. The film added another 109,879,300 yen (about US$684,200) over the weekend, pushing its cumulative box office to an astounding 13,208,211,100 yen (about US$82.25 million). This remarkable performance marks the fourth consecutive film in the franchise to surpass the 10 billion yen milestone, solidifying its status as a consistent box office giant. Highway no Datenshi set a new franchise opening weekend record, debuting at #1 with 2,318,009 tickets sold and 3,502,137,800 yen (about US$21.9 million) in its first three days.
Mr. Osomatsu Live Action Sequel Debuts at #3
The second live-action film in the Mr. Osomatsu series made a strong debut, opening at #3 in Japan. The film sold 141,000 tickets and earned 218,240,200 yen (about US$1.35 million) in its initial three days. Directed by Taisuke Kawamura and penned by Takayuki Takuma, this sequel faced an earlier delay from its planned January 9 release due to unforeseen circumstances involving a cast member. The first live-action film, starring members of the idol group Snow Man, opened in March 2022.
Milky Subway Re-Edit Enters Top 10
Rinji Zōhatsu Milky☆Subway Kakueki Teisha Gekijō Iki, a new re-edited version of the Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express anime film, opened at #9. This refreshed cinematic experience earned 42,043,500 yen (about US$261,800) in its first three days. When combined with the earnings of the original version, the Milky☆Subway films have collectively garnered 594,535,300 yen (about US$3.70 million). The original film debuted on February 6, with its re-edited counterpart offering additional content to its 12-episode anime base. Yōhei Kameyama reprised multiple roles in its creation, from directing and writing to character designs.
Sakamoto Days Live Action Continues Run
The live-action film adaptation of Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days manga dropped to #10 in its seventh weekend. The film had an impressive opening, ranking #4 and selling 346,000 tickets for 478 million yen (about US$3.05 million) in its first three days. Capitalizing on the Golden Week holidays, it sold 1.14 million tickets and earned 1.5 billion yen (about US$9.58 million) within its first eight days. Starring Ren Meguro of Snow Man as Tarō Sakamoto and directed by Yūichi Fukuda, the film also offers a panoramic ScreenX viewing experience in select theaters.
Other notable movements include the live-action Yamaguchi-kun Isn't So Bad manga adaptation, which departed the top 10 in its second weekend. Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami, the third Mononoke film, also left the list in its third weekend, but still managed to add 35,942,240 yen (about US$223,800) to its cumulative total of 277,930,620 yen (about US$1.73 million). The Japanese box office continues to showcase a dynamic landscape, celebrating both long-running franchises and exciting new entries.
