The Japanese box office continues to showcase the immense popularity of anime films, with top titles demonstrating strong performances. This past weekend saw both established and returning fan favorites secure significant commercial success and captivate audiences nationwide.
Chiikawa Maintains Box Office Dominance
Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu, the first anime film based on Nagano's Chiikawa manga, showed remarkable endurance in its 11th weekend. Dropping from #2 to #4, the film still earned 178,447,600 yen (about US$1.12 million) from Friday to Sunday, solidifying its monumental success.
With 11.76 million tickets sold, the Chiikawa film has accumulated 17,169,165,400 yen (about US$108 million). This makes it the biggest film in Japan this year and places it 14th in Japan's all-time box office ranking. Its journey began strong, opening at #1 on July 24 with 990 million yen (about US$6.05 million) on its opening day. The first three days saw 1,508,500 tickets sold and 2,240,333,500 yen (about US$13.70 million). Special screenings, including 4DX from September 5, cheering screenings on September 11, and penlight screenings on September 23, helped sustain its draw.
Based on the "Siren Arc" or "Island Arc" from the manga's X (formerly Twitter) posts, Nagano penned the script and is credited for the original story. Kei Oikawa (Uma Musume Pretty Derby, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) directed at Cygames Pictures. QTORY inc. managed production, and TOHO distributed the film.
Precure Holds Steady in Third Weekend
Eiga Meitantei Precure! Fushigi na Niwa to Futari no Himitsu, the film for Star Detective Precure!, saw a slight drop from #3 to #5 in its third weekend. It earned 117,562,850 yen (about US$742,100) from Friday to Sunday.
Since its September 18 opening, the film has sold 860,000 tickets for a cumulative total of 1,088,603,930 yen (about US$6.87 million). Its first three days saw 358,000 tickets sold and 446 million yen (about US$2.82 million). By September 23, its sixth day, figures rose to 606,000 tickets and 746 million yen (about US$4.71 million).
New characters were voiced by Akari Kitō as Karin, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Alan, and Kōki Uchiyama as Rain. Hanako Ueda (You and Idol Precure) directed. Yoshimi Narita (multiple Precure films) wrote the script. Music was by Erika Fukasawa and Misaki Umase, with Emiko Miyamoto (Precure All Stars F) as character designer and chief animation director. Yūka Masui and Chihaya Yoshitake performed the ending theme "FIRST PRISM," and Ami Ishii performed the insert song "First Step."
Madoka Magica Makes a Strong Reentry
Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising, the official sequel to Part 3: Rebellion, rejoined the top 10 at #7 in its sixth weekend. This signifies strong fan engagement and lasting appeal.
The film earned 135,516,600 yen (about US$855,400) from Friday to Sunday, pushing its cumulative total to 2,342,576,920 yen (about US$14.78 million). It opened with 535,000 tickets sold and 939,647,100 yen (about US$5.95 million) in its first three days. IMAX screenings began on its August 28 opening day.
Yukihiro Miyamoto (Puella Magi Madoka Magica series director) directed the film. New magical girl Shichōka was voiced by Shion Wakayama, and Selma Therese by Tomoyo Kurosawa. The returning staff included original creators Magica Quartet, chief director Akiyuki Simbo, scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi of Nitroplus, original character designer Ume Aoki, animation character designer Junichirō Taniguchi, composer Yuki Kajiura, alternate space designer Gekidan Inu Curry, and animation studio SHAFT.
Other Anime Film Highlights
The combined anime film NOTHING NEW and director Kōhei Kadowaki's We Are Aliens (Ware Ware wa Uchūjin) surpassed 100 million yen in box office revenue as of October 2. As of October 4, they sold 97,401 tickets and earned 156,708,200 yen (about US$990,200) since their September 25 opening. Meanwhile, Shingo Yamashita's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (Chō Kaguya-hime!) dropped off the top 10 in its third week, despite new screenings with enhanced formats.
The Japanese box office continues to underscore the diverse success and captivating power of anime cinema. From Chiikawa's reign to Precure's steady presence and Madoka Magica's impressive comeback, anime films consistently draw audiences.
