Chiikawa Continues Unstoppable Reign at Number One
The Japanese box office spotlights "Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu" (Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island), which remarkably held its top spot for an eighth consecutive weekend. The film sold 271,000 tickets, earning 427,295,700 yen (about US$2.75 million) over the latest three days.
"Chiikawa the Movie" has now sold a cumulative 10.09 million tickets, reaching 14,666,866,500 yen (about US$94.61 million). This phenomenal success has surpassed "Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi's" 13.7 billion yen, making "Chiikawa" the biggest film in Japan this year. It now ranks 23rd in Japan's all-time box office.
Opening on July 24 at number one, the film earned 990 million yen (about US$6.05 million) on its first day and 2,240,333,500 yen (about US$13.70 million) in its first three days, selling 1,508,500 tickets. Special engagements like 4DX screenings (Sep 5), cheering screenings (Sep 11), and upcoming penlight screenings (Sep 23) continue to engage fans.
The film adapts Nagano's "Siren Arc" or "Island Arc" manga, posted on X from March to November 2023. The story sees Chiikawa and Hachiware lured by a flyer to a special island promising rewards and free delicious food. A suspicious Rakko joins them. Nagano is credited for the original story and script, with Kei Oikawa directing at Cygames Pictures and TOHO distributing.
Madoka Magica Holds Strong in Third Weekend
"Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising," the official sequel to "Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 3: Rebellion," moved from #3 to #4 in its third weekend. It earned 169,476,760 yen (about US$1.09 million) from Friday to Sunday.
Its cumulative earnings now total 1,838,112,960 yen (about US$11.85 million). The film launched with IMAX screenings on August 28, its opening day. It sold 535,000 tickets and earned 939,647,100 yen (about US$5.95 million) in its first three days.
The film reunites key staff: original creators Magica Quartet, chief director Akiyuki Simbo, scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi, original character designer Ume Aoki, and composer Yuki Kajiura. Animation studio SHAFT produces. New magical girls include Shichōka (Shion Wakayama) and Selma Therese (Tomoyo Kurosawa). FictionJunction performs the theme song "Kanata."
"Look Back" Live-Action Film Debuts at Fifth Place
Tatsuki Fujimoto's "Look Back" one-shot manga saw its live-action film adaptation open at #5. It earned 144,146,120 yen (about US$929,800) in its first three days.
Aju Makita plays Kyōmoto, and Natsuki Deguchi portrays Fujino. Hirokazu Kore-eda directed, edited, and wrote the screenplay. Yūta Bandō composed the music.
Special guest roles include Kenshi Yonezu on guitar ("Shark Kick Guitar"), Tōko Miura performing vocals for an insert song, and Yōko Kuno directing a rotoscoped animation sequence produced by Shinei Animation, blending unique artistic talents into the film.
Sound! Euphonium The Final Movie Part 2 Opens at Seventh
"Sound! Euphonium, The Final Movie Part 2" (Saishū Gakushō Hibike! Euphonium Kōhen), the second and final part of "The Final Movie" project, opened at #7. The film earned 147,719,540 yen (about US$952,900) in its first three days.
Taichi Ogawa directed the anime, with Tatsuya Ishihara as chief director. Jukki Hanada oversaw and wrote the script. Shoko Ikeda and Kazumi Ikeda handled character designs, with Kazumi Ikeda also serving as chief animation director. Akito Matsuda composed the music. This highly anticipated conclusion follows the first film, which opened on April 24.
Recent Departures from the Top 10
Several films concluded their runs in the Japanese box office top 10. "Eiga Crayon Shin-chan Kikikaikai! Ora no Yōkai Bake-shon" exited after its seventh weekend. "Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen," the fifth live-action "Kingdom" film, dropped off after its ninth weekend. The new anime "Sekiro: No Defeat," based on the game, left the list in its second weekend, highlighting the competitive nature of the market.
