Weekend Ranking (5/11-12)

1 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) Week 4
2 (-) Phone Call to a Bar 2 (Toei) DEBUT!
3 (-) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) DEBUT!
4 (2) Iron Man 3 (Disney) Week 3
5 (3) Library Wars (Toho) Week 3
6 (5) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) Week 3
7 (4) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) Week 4
8 (6) Kamen Rider x Super Sentai X Space Sheriff (Toei) Week 3
9 (-) St. Brothers (Toho Video Division) DEBUT!
10 (14) Steins; Gate: Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu (Kadokawa Pictures) Week 4

Detective Conan claims it's fourth-consecutive week in first place and nears 2.5 million admissions and ¥3 billion ($31 million). The film may even spend a fifth week in first since May is one of the weakest times of the year and there aren't any notable releases until May 30th/31st.

Phone Call to a Bar 2 retained 91% of it's predecessor's audience, earning ¥154,666,600 ($1.5 million) and 117,032 admissions over the weekend on 304 screens.

Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division opened modestly with ¥124,392,200 ($1.2 million) and 98,076 admissions on 293 screens.

St. Brothers was only playing on 75 screens, but still managed a Top 10 debut. No numbers have been released for it yet.

And also very important news concerning USD totals. The yen fell to a 5 1/2 year low against the dollar thanks to the Prime Minister strategy to further weaken the yen and the Bank of Japan's record stimulus plan ($1.4 trillion dollars) to revive the economy this week. Compared to just 6 months ago, this is a 30% shift in the exchange rate.

2013 Opening Weekends
2-Day Weekend Gross / Admissions :: Film [Screen Count]

¥1.372 billion ($16.7 million) / 1,140,081 :: One Piece Film Z [300] *All-Time Domestic Record*
¥1 billion ↨
¥750 million ↨
¥683.9 million ($7.3 million) / 561,098 :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods [312]
¥671.6 million ($6.9 million) / 565,914 :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea [344]
¥667.3 million ($7.2 million) / 597,899 :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum [353]
¥500 million ↨
¥456.8 million ($5.5 million) / 357,976 :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge [257]
¥454.6 million ($5.4 million) / 398,754 :: 007: Skyfall [578]
¥414.7 million ($4.3 million) / 273,766 :: Iron Man 3 [535]
¥402.4 million ($4.4 million) / 318,514 :: A Good Day to Die Hard [643]
¥400.5 million ($4.3 million) / 305,743 :: Platinum Data [310]
¥400 million ↨
¥339.7 million ($3.7 million) / 267,276 :: Wreck-It Ralph [416]
¥329.8 million ($3.7 million) / 219,536 :: Life of Pi [713]
¥326.2 million ($3.6 million) / 229,584 :: Ted [253]
¥317.9 million ($3.6 million) / 241,095 :: Strawberry Night [311]
¥300 million ↨
¥295.4 million ($3.4 million) / 229,295 :: Les Miserables [360]
¥281.6 million ($3.3 million) / 244,870 :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze [298]
¥269.9 million ($2.9 million) / 184,281 :: Oz: The Great and Powerful [582]
¥233.5 million ($2.4 million) / 201,006 :: Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherrif: Super Hero Z [289]
¥227.8 million ($2.7 million) / 187,422 :: Jack Reacher [321]
¥225.3 million ($2.3 million) / 199,993 :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class [324]
¥225.3 million ($2.7 million) / 188,378 :: Today, I Started Loving You [301]
¥220.5 million ($2.6 million) / 146,315 :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [878]
¥216.8 million ($2.3 million) / 164,178 :: Library Wars [311]
¥211.2 million ($2.4 million) / 169,600 :: Aibou Series: X-Day [198]
¥209.6 million ($2.4 million) / 194,902 :: Tokyo Family [317]
¥206.4 million ($2.3 million) / 166,049 :: Brain Man [302]
¥206.3 million ($2.3 million) / 175,438 :: Humanoid Monster, Bem [331]
¥200 million ↨
¥196.6 million ($2.1 million) / 175,930 :: Pretty Cure All Stars: New Stage 2 [174]
¥186.9 million ($1.9 million) / 145,148 :: Shield of Straw [325]
¥173.5 million ($1.9 million) / 172,222 :: Inazuma Eleven GO: Ultimate Bonds [270]
¥162.9 million ($1.7 million) / 137,546 :: Lincoln [331]
¥156.3 million ($1.7 million) / 129,920 :: Flight [321]
¥154.7 million ($1.5 million) / 117,032 :: Phone Call to a Bar 2 [304] DEBUT
¥137.1 million ($1.6 million) / 138,287 :: Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger [175]
¥124.4 million ($1.2 million) / 98,076 :: Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division [293] DEBUT
¥119.9 million ($1.4 million) / 92,646 :: Looper [201]
¥114.7 million ($1.3 million) / 94,122 :: Taken 2 [288]
¥113.7 million ($1.2 million) / 93,065 :: We Knit Ship [237]
¥111.8 million ($1.2 million) / 80,903 :: Frankenweenie [489]
¥100.8 million ($1.1 million) / 69,177 :: A Certain Magical Index [30]
¥100 million ↑

The 2013 Box-Office Year is nearing it's mid-point, and here are some various stats from the year so far:

2013 Box Office Year Stats

Weekend #1 Films
Dec. 01-02 (Skyfall - ¥455 million ($5.4 million))
Dec. 08-09 (Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard - ¥282 million ($3.3 million))
Dec. 15-16 (One Piece Film Z - ¥1.37 billion ($16.7 million))
Dec. 22-23 (One Piece Film Z - ¥704 million ($8.6 million))
Dec. 29-30 (One Piece Film Z - ¥447 million ($5.4 million))
Jan. 05-06 (One Piece Film Z - ¥323 million ($3.7 million))
Jan. 12-13 (Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge -¥457 million ($5.4 million))
Jan. 19-20 (Ted - ¥326 million ($3.6 million))
Jan. 26-27 (Ted - ¥331 million ($3.8 million))
Feb. 02-03 (Ted - ¥299 million ($3.4 million))
Feb. 09-10 (Ted - ¥320 million ($3.5 million))
Feb. 16-17 (A Good Day to Die Hard - ¥402 million ($4.4 million))
Feb. 23-24 (A Good Day to Die Hard - ¥260 million ($2.8 million))
Mar. 02-03 (Flight - ¥156 million ($1.7 million))
Mar. 09-10 (Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum - ¥667 million ($7.2 million))
Mar. 16-17 (Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum - ¥429 million ($4.6 million))
Mar. 23-24 (Wreck-It Ralph - ¥340 million ($3.7 million))
Mar. 30-31 (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - ¥683 million ($7.3 million))
Apr. 06-07 (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - ¥424 million ($4.6 million))
Apr. 13-14 (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - ¥228 million ($2.5 million))
Apr. 20-21 (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea - ¥672 million ($7.0 million))
Apr. 27-28 (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea - ¥426 million ($4.4 million))
May 04-05 (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea - ¥430 million ($4.5 million))
May 11-12 (Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea - ¥160 million ($1.6 million))
*Imported (9) / Japanese (15) :: Live-Action (8) / Animated (16)*

Best Multipliers
1. Les Miserables (19.67)
2. Ted (12.85)
3. Wreck-It Ralph (8.71)
4. Today, I Started Loving You (7.78)
5. Tokyo Family (7.75)

Worst Multipliers
1. Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge (2.50)
2. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (3.44)
3. Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard (4.04)
4. Jack Reacher (4.71)
5. A Good Day to Die Hard (5.04)
*Multipliers NOT Final*

Most Weeks in the Top 10
1. Les Miserables (13)
2. Ted (9)
2. One Piece Film Z (9)
4. Skyfall (8)
5. Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (7)

Best Opening Weekend PSA(2-Days)
1. One Piece Film Z - ¥4.57 million ($55,700)
2. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - ¥2.19 million ($23,400)
3. Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea - ¥1.95 million ($20,300)
4. Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum - ¥1.89 million ($20,400)
5. Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge - ¥1.78 million ($21,200)
*Wide Releases ONLY*

2013 Top Grossing Films
Total Gross / Admissions :: Film :: Days in Release :: Distributor

¥10 billion ↨
¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) / 5.67 million :: One Piece Film Z :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥5.81 billion ($64.8 million) / 4.74 million :: Les Miserables :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥5 billion ↨
¥4.19 billion ($46.0 million) / 3.08 million :: Ted :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥4 billion ↨
¥3.96 billion ($43.2 million) / 3.63 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: 65 :: Toho
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.98 billion ($30.2 million) / 2.48 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: 23 :: Toho
¥2.96 billion ($31.8 million) / 2.41 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: 52 :: Disney
¥2.92 billion ($30.1 million) / 2.27 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: 44 :: Toei
¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Tracking Ends :: Sony
¥2.51 billion ($27.0 million) / 2.04 million :: Platinum Data :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥2.11 billion ($23.5 million) / 1.70 million :: Strawberry Night :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.04 billion ($20.7 million) / 1.39 million :: Iron Man 3 :: 17 :: Disney
¥2.03 billion ($22.3 million) / 1.49 million :: A Good Day to Die Hard :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.82 billion ($21.1 million) / 1.26 million :: Life of Pi :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
¥1.75 billion ($20.0 million) / 1.45 million :: Today, I Started Loving You :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.74 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.23 million :: Oz: The Great and Powerful :: Tracking Ends :: Disney
¥1.64 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.16 million :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey :: Tracking Ends :: Warner Bros.
¥1.62 billion ($17.6 million) / 1.47 million :: Tokyo Family :: Tracking Ends :: Shochiku
¥1.26 billion ($13.7 million) / 1.07 million :: Aibou Series: X-Day :: Tracking Ends :: Toei
¥1.25 billion ($13.9 million) / 0.99 million :: Brain Man :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.18 billion ($12.5 million) / 0.95 million :: Shield of Straw :: 16 :: Warner Bros.
¥1.17 billion ($13.2 million) / 0.99 million :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.15 billion ($12.3 million) / 0.91 million :: Library Wars :: 16 :: Toho
¥1.14 billion ($13.0 million) / 1.03 million :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard :: Tracking Ends :: Toei
¥1.13 billion ($12.9 million) / 0.95 million :: Humanoid Monster, Bem :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.07 billion ($11.3 million) / 0.87 million :: Jack Reacher :: Tracking Ends :: Paramount
¥1.05 billion ($10.7 million) / 0.92 million :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class :: 23 :: Toho
¥1 billion ↑

-Detective Conan, Wreck-It Ralph, and Dragon Ball Z are all about to join the ¥3 billion club. Conan probably already did on Monday or Tuesday.
-Iron Man 3 breaks the ¥2 billion mark after three weeks in release. Like every other film in release, it saw a sharp decline this weekend after Golden Week making reaching ¥3 billion pretty difficult.
-Shield of Straw, Library Wars, and Crayon Shin-chan all exceeded ¥1 billion this past weekend to make it on the list.

Top Grossing [Imported] Superhero Films

1. Spider-Man - ¥7.50 billion ($59 million) #6 Film of 2002
2. Spider-Man 3 - ¥7.12 billion ($67 million) #4 Film of 2007
3. Spider-Man 2 - ¥6.70 billion ($61 million) #7 Film of 2004
4. The Incredibles - ¥5.26 billion ($52 million) #6 Film of 2005
5. The Avengers - ¥3.61 billion ($46 million) #9 Film of 2012
6. The Amazing Spider-Man - ¥3.16 billion ($39 million)
7. Hancock - ¥3.10 billion ($30 million)
8. Batman - ¥3.00 billion ($20 million) #7 Film of 1990
9. Superman II - ¥2.55 billion ($12 million) #5 Film of 1981
10. Iron Man 3 - ¥2.04 billion ($21 million) [17 Days in Release]
11. The Dark Knight Rises - ¥1.97 million ($24 million)
12. X-Men - ¥1.85 billion ($18 million)
13. X2: X-Men United - ¥1.80 billion ($16 million)
14. The Dark Knight - ¥1.60 billion ($16 million)
15. X-Men: The Last Stand - ¥1.53 billion ($14 million)
16. Superman Returns - ¥1.50 billion ($12 million)
17. Batman Begins - ¥1.40 billion ($14 million)
18. Iron Man 2 - ¥1.20 billion ($14 million)

Fantastic Four ¥950 million ($10 million)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ¥900 million ($9 million)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine ¥900 million ($10 million)
Hulk ¥850 million ($8 million)
Iron Man ¥800 million ($9 million)
X-Men: First Class ¥750 million ($8 million)
Thor ¥550 million ($7 million)
Captain America ¥400 million ($5 million)
The Incredible Hulk ¥250 million ($2 million)
Green Lantern ¥200 million ($2 million)

Iron Man 3 will pass Superman II, but odds are it won't climb any higher. And it's already outgrossed the combined totals of Iron Man and Iron Man 2

Weekend Forecast (5/18-19)

1 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥110 million ($1.1 million) Week 5
2 (2) Phone Call to a Bar 2 (Toei) ¥105 million ($1.05 million) Week 2
3 (3) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥95 million ($925,000) Week 4
4 (-) Middle-School Student Maruyama (Toei) ¥85 million ($825,000) DEBUT! [179 theaters]
5 (4) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) ¥80 million ($775,000) Week 2
6 (5) Library Wars (Toho) ¥70 million ($680,000) Week 4
7 (6) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥65 million ($630,000) Week 4
8 (-) The Complex (Shochiku) ¥55 million ($535,000) DEBUT! [162 theaters]
9 (7) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥50 million ($490,000) Week 5
10 (8) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sheriff (Toei) ¥45 million ($440,000) Week 4

Detective Conan is in a great position to remain on top of the box-office for it's 5th-consecutive weekend. Four-consecutive weeks happens fairly regularly each year (3/4x usually), but five+ is a bit more uncommon. I'll have a list posted on it soon.

This week and the next are going to really slow and very likely the weakest of the entire year. May is traditionally one of the weaker months of the year, but it still has a couple notable films being released during the month most years. Except for this year, because studios decided to move all their films either up to take advantage of Golden Week or back for the Summer vacation/legs.

To make up for this slow frame, mid-June through mid-August is packed with big films and competition rarely effects any film during this time.

Most-Consecutive Weeks at #1 (1998-)

Spirited Away (16)
Armageddon (14)
Avatar (10)
Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge (9)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (9)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (9)
Howl's Moving Castle (9)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (9)
Alice in Wonderland (7)
Hero (7)
Spider-Man (7)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (7)
20th Century Boys: The Final Chapter (6)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (6)
Monsters Inc (6)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (6)
Ponyo (6)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (6)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (6)
The Matrix (6)
The Sixth Sense (6)
Umizaru: The Last Message (6)
Bayside Shakedown (5)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (5)
Doraemon: Nobita's Great Merman Sea Battle (5)
Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles (5)
Finding Nemo (5)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (5)
I, Robot (5)
Letters from Iwo Jima (5)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (5)
Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (5)
One Piece / Digimon Adventure 2 (5)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (5)
Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back! (5)
Red Cliff: Part I (5)
Saving Private Ryan (5)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (5)
The Da Vinci Code (5)
The Last Samurai (5)
The Matrix Reloaded (5)
Umizaru: Brave Hearts (5)

Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea will likely join this list this weekend.

Armageddon was 14 weeks on top? Awesome.

Spirited Away was just huge. Where do you think will the new one land in the Myazaki charts?

Bullet to the Head in 2 weeks. Can the Japanese market withstand such a box office titan?

Looking at the release schedule now, The Wind Rises will definitely open at #1 and will have a very easy second weekend at #1, too.

Then in it's third week it faces The Lone Ranger and The After-Dinner Mysteries. Both of those films will do well, but it's doubtful they'll dethrone The Wind Rises giving it a third week at #1.

And on it's fourth week it faces it's probably it's biggest challenge with Pacific Rim and World War Z. Again, both of those films should do very well, but it'll require at least one of them to break out pretty big to knock off The Wind Rises from first place. Four weeks at #1 looks more than likely in my opinion.

From there it's pretty smooth sailing. There are some notable films being released in mid/late August (Gatchaman, Percy Jackson, Star Trek and Man of Steel), but none of them should bump The Wind Rises from first place and nothing until maybe Wolverine: Samurai on Sept. 13th has potential to open at #1.

So I'm thinking anywhere from 8-10 weeks at #1 for The Wind Rises right now.





Well, the Top 10 is quite weak right now so it might actually manage a decent debut ranking wise.

Will Wolverine overpeform due to the setting and the plot?

Yeah, I'm expecting it'll recover from the disappointing numbers of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First Class (practically bombs) and do similar numbers as the first three films in the franchsie (¥1.5-2 billion). Interest on various online movie sites appears pretty strong.

Opening on a holiday weekend (Sept. 16th is Respect for the Aged Day) will help it out, too.

Weekend Estimates (5/18-19)



1 (-) The Complex (Shochiku) ¥125 million ($1.2 million) DEBUT! [162 theaters]
2 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥118 million ($1.2 million), -24%, Week 5
3 (2) Phone Call to a Bar 2 (Toei) ¥116 million ($1.1 million), -25%, Week 2
4 (3) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥99 million ($960,000), -32%, Week 4
5 (4) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) ¥91 million ($890,000), -26%, Week 2
6 (6) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥77 million ($750,000), -19%, Week 4
7 (5) Library Wars (Toho) ¥71 million ($690,000), -27%, Week 4
8 (-) Middle-School Student Maruyama (Toei) ¥63 million ($610,000) DEBUT! [179 theaters]
9 (7) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥54 million ($525,000), -28%, Week 5
10 (8) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sheriff (Toei) ¥50 million ($485,000), -29%, Week 4

Surprising for The Complex. It looks like it attracted some of the Sadako (Ring) fans. But I'm not believing it opened at #1 yet because of it's low theater count and because it was compared to a film that opened on 43% more screens. When the weekend comparison has such a difference in screen count, it can throw off any estimate. I'll post the Cinema Chain Rankings when they're available tonight to get a better idea of the situation.

Great weekend for all of the holdovers which recovered from the post-Golden Week drops last weekend. Iron Man 3 is the only one estimated to have dropped over 30%, but that too could end up below 30% since estimates have been a little low the past few weeks.

I reported a month or two ago that Hansel & Gretel would probably be released in the Fall (Sept/Oct) after getting a movie page on some local movie sites, but unfortunately that's no longer the case. Instead it's going straight to DVD on July 19th.

And The Croods now has a movie page as well with a release set for simply "2013". Hopefully it actually happens. I check the release schedules often, so it was added recently.

Weekend Ranking (5/18-19)

1 (-) The Complex (Shochiku) DEBUT!
2 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) Week 5
3 (2) Phone Call to a Bar 2 (Toei) Week 2
4 (3) Iron Man 3 (Disney) Week 4
5 (4) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) Week 2
6 (6) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) Week 4
7 (5) Library Wars (Toho) Week 4
8 (7) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) Week 5
9 (-) Middle-School Student Maruyama (Toei) DEBUT!
10 (8) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sheriff (Toei) Week 4

The Complex pulls the upset and debuts at #1 with a solid ¥153,424,100 ($1.5 million) and 118,885 admissions on 162 screens. Director Hideo Nakata (The Ring series, The Incite Mill) and former pop idol Atsuko Maeda (AKB48) were enough of a draw to prevent Detective Conan from claiming it's 5th-consecutive week in first.

Middle-School Student Maruyama opened to poor numbers with ¥66,899,200 ($660,000) and 47,919 admissions on 179 screens over the weekend.

2013 Opening Weekends
2-Day Weekend Gross / Admissions :: Film [Screen Count]

¥1.372 billion ($16.7 million) / 1,140,081 :: One Piece Film Z [300] *All-Time Domestic Record*
¥1 billion ↨
¥750 million ↨
¥683.9 million ($7.3 million) / 561,098 :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods [312]
¥671.6 million ($6.9 million) / 565,914 :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea [344]
¥667.3 million ($7.2 million) / 597,899 :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum [353]
¥500 million ↨
¥456.8 million ($5.5 million) / 357,976 :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge [257]
¥454.6 million ($5.4 million) / 398,754 :: 007: Skyfall [578]
¥414.7 million ($4.3 million) / 273,766 :: Iron Man 3 [535]
¥402.4 million ($4.4 million) / 318,514 :: A Good Day to Die Hard [643]
¥400.5 million ($4.3 million) / 305,743 :: Platinum Data [310]
¥400 million ↨
¥339.7 million ($3.7 million) / 267,276 :: Wreck-It Ralph [416]
¥329.8 million ($3.7 million) / 219,536 :: Life of Pi [713]
¥326.2 million ($3.6 million) / 229,584 :: Ted [253]
¥317.9 million ($3.6 million) / 241,095 :: Strawberry Night [311]
¥300 million ↨
¥295.4 million ($3.4 million) / 229,295 :: Les Miserables [360]
¥281.6 million ($3.3 million) / 244,870 :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze [298]
¥269.9 million ($2.9 million) / 184,281 :: Oz: The Great and Powerful [582]
¥233.5 million ($2.4 million) / 201,006 :: Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherrif: Super Hero Z [289]
¥227.8 million ($2.7 million) / 187,422 :: Jack Reacher [321]
¥225.3 million ($2.3 million) / 199,993 :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class [324]
¥225.3 million ($2.7 million) / 188,378 :: Today, I Started Loving You [301]
¥220.5 million ($2.6 million) / 146,315 :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [878]
¥216.8 million ($2.3 million) / 164,178 :: Library Wars [311]
¥211.2 million ($2.4 million) / 169,600 :: Aibou Series: X-Day [198]
¥209.6 million ($2.4 million) / 194,902 :: Tokyo Family [317]
¥206.4 million ($2.3 million) / 166,049 :: Brain Man [302]
¥206.3 million ($2.3 million) / 175,438 :: Humanoid Monster, Bem [331]
¥200 million ↨
¥196.6 million ($2.1 million) / 175,930 :: Pretty Cure All Stars: New Stage 2 [174]
¥186.9 million ($1.9 million) / 145,148 :: Shield of Straw [325]
¥173.5 million ($1.9 million) / 172,222 :: Inazuma Eleven GO: Ultimate Bonds [270]
¥162.9 million ($1.7 million) / 137,546 :: Lincoln [331]
¥156.3 million ($1.7 million) / 129,920 :: Flight [321]
¥154.7 million ($1.5 million) / 117,032 :: Phone Call to a Bar 2 [304]
¥153.4 million ($1.5 million) / 118,885 :: The Complex [162] DEBUT!
¥137.1 million ($1.6 million) / 138,287 :: Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger [175]
¥124.4 million ($1.2 million) / 98,076 :: Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division [293]
¥119.9 million ($1.4 million) / 92,646 :: Looper [201]
¥114.7 million ($1.3 million) / 94,122 :: Taken 2 [288]
¥113.7 million ($1.2 million) / 93,065 :: We Knit Ship [237]
¥111.8 million ($1.2 million) / 80,903 :: Frankenweenie [489]
¥100.8 million ($1.1 million) / 69,177 :: A Certain Magical Index [30]
¥100 million ↑

Why wouldn't The Croods get a release?

I always think of Japan as the sort of country that releases all of the US-made movies. Wreck-It Ralph did well, so there's no reason why The Croods shouldn't get a release. And the Japs love animation.

Not imported-animation outside of Pixar (though Brave was a total bomb last year). Ice Age 4 didn't get a release last year due to Ice Age 3 dropping near 90% from Ice Age 2, and Megamind didn't get a release a few years back. Rio didn't get released either.

Only a few animated films from Dreamworks or other animated studios have been successful in the market (and none of them are in the Top 50 animated films of all-time or close to it). Wreck-It Ralph isn't going to come that close to making this list either despite doing quite well.

It was about time to update this given the recent entries from the past 6 months.

Update (05/19)

Top Grossing Animated Films (¥3 billion+)

1. Spirited Away :: ¥30.4 billion ($244 million)
2. Howl's Moving Castle :: ¥22.0 billion ($207 million)
3. Princess Mononoke :: ¥19.3 billion ($165.5 million)
4. Ponyo :: ¥15.5 billion ($164 million)
5. Finding Nemo :: ¥11.0 billion ($102.4 million)
6. Toy Story 3 :: ¥10.80 billion ($130.7 million)
7. Monsters, Inc. :: ¥9.37 billion ($76.8 million)
8. The Borrower Arrietty :: ¥9.25 billion ($111.9 million)
9. Tales from Earthsea :: ¥7.65 billion ($62.9 million)
10. Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back! :: ¥7.54 billion ($67.8 million)
11. One Piece Film Z :: ¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) (Final Estimate)
12. The Cat Returns :: ¥6.46 billion ($54.4 million)
13. Pokemon: The Power of One :: ¥6.36 billion ($64.8 million)
14. Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo :: ¥5.30 billion ($64.0 million)
15. The Incredibles :: ¥5.26 billion ($51.1 million)
16. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: The Rise of Darkrai :: ¥5.02 billion ($47.2 million)
17. Up :: ¥5.0 billion ($60.5 million)
18. Dinosaur :: ¥4.90 billion ($42.1 million)
19. Pokemon: Spell of the Unown :: ¥4.85 billion ($45.8 million)
20. One Piece Film Strong World :: ¥4.80 billion ($58.1 million)
21. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Giratina and the Sky Warrior :: ¥4.80 billion ($53.3 million)
22. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Arceus and the Jewel of Life :: ¥4.67 billion ($51.6 million)
23. Pokemon Advanced: Jirachi - Wishmaker :: ¥4.50 billion ($38.4 million)
24. From Kokuriko Hill :: ¥4.47 billion ($57.8 million)
25. Pokemon Advanced: Destiny Deoxys :: ¥4.38 billion ($39.1 million)
26. Pokemon Best Wishes: White - Victini and Zekrom / Black - Victini and Reshiram :: ¥4.33 billion ($56.1 million)
27. Pokemon Advanded: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew :: ¥4.30 billion ($38.9 million)
28. The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki :: ¥4.22 billion ($53.9 million)
29. Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Zoroark - Master of Illusions :: ¥4.16 billion ($50.3 million)
30. Porco Rosso :: ¥4.05 billion ($32.5 million)
31. Wall-E :: ¥4.0 billion ($44.2 million)
32. Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance :: ¥4.0 billion ($44.2 million)
33. Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum :: ¥3.96 billion ($43.2 million) (10 Weeks in Release)
34. Ratatouille :: ¥3.90 billion ($36.3 million)
35. Pokemon: Celebi - Voice of the Forest :: ¥3.90 billion ($32.5 million)
36. Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: ¥3.62 billion ($46.2 million)
37. Pokemon Best Wishes: Kyurem Vs. The Sacred Swordsman :: ¥3.61 billion ($46.1 million)
38. Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld :: ¥3.54 billion ($30.0 million)
39. Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser :: ¥3.50 billion ($35.6 million)
40. Toy Story 2 :: ¥3.45 billion ($29.9 million)
41. Pokemon Advanced: Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea :: ¥3.40 billion ($28.2 million)
42. Detective Conan: The Phantom of Barker Street :: ¥3.40 billion ($30.3 million)
43. Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant Legend :: ¥3.37 billion ($32.1 million)
44. Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: ¥3.28 billion ($42.3 million)
45. Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur :: ¥3.28 billion ($27.6 million)
46. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital :: ¥3.20 billion ($28.6 million)
47. Detective Conan: Lost Ship in the Sky :: ¥3.20 billion ($35.2 million)
48. Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: ¥3.19 billion ($32.3 million) (5 Weeks in Release)
49. Doraemon: Nobita's Great Merman Sea Adventure :: ¥3.16 billion ($33.6 million)
50. Detective Conan: 15 Minutes of Silence :: ¥3.13 billion ($39.85 million)
51. Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King :: ¥3.05 billion ($29.0 million)
52. Doraemon: Nobita's Wannyan Space-Time Odyssey :: ¥3.05 billion ($28.9 million)
53. Detective Conan: The Private Eyes' Requiem :: ¥3.03 billion ($26.8 million)
54. Cars 2 :: ¥3.01 billion ($39.0 million)
55. Doraemon: Nobita and the Winged Braves :: ¥3.0 billion ($25.8 million)

2012 New Entries
2013 New Entries

Only 10/55 are imported releases and 9/10 of those are from Pixar. Dinosaur is the sole non-Pixar imported release on the list currently, and that one is still Disney.

Tracking for Wreck-It Ralph and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods ended this past week before either hit ¥3 billion, but both films should be able to get there.

It did well because of the video game links, I suppose. Nintendo is Japanese afterall.

2013 Top Grossing Films
Total Gross / Admissions :: Film :: Days in Release :: Distributor

¥10 billion ↨
¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) / 5.67 million :: One Piece Film Z :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥5.81 billion ($64.8 million) / 4.74 million :: Les Miserables :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥5 billion ↨
¥4.19 billion ($46.0 million) / 3.08 million :: Ted :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥4 billion ↨
¥3.96 billion ($43.2 million) / 3.64 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: 72 :: Toho
¥3.19 billion ($32.3 million) / 2.65 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: 30 :: Toho
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.96 billion ($31.8 million) / 2.41 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: Tracking Ends :: Disney
¥2.92 billion ($30.1 million) / 2.27 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: Tracking Ends :: Toei
¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Tracking Ends :: Sony
¥2.58 billion ($27.6 million) / 2.08 million :: Platinum Data :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.25 billion ($22.7 million) / 1.52 million :: Iron Man 3 :: 24 :: Disney
¥2.11 billion ($23.5 million) / 1.70 million :: Strawberry Night :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.03 billion ($22.3 million) / 1.49 million :: A Good Day to Die Hard :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.82 billion ($21.1 million) / 1.26 million :: Life of Pi :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
¥1.75 billion ($20.0 million) / 1.45 million :: Today, I Started Loving You :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.74 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.23 million :: Oz: The Great and Powerful :: Tracking Ends :: Disney
¥1.64 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.16 million :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey :: Tracking Ends :: Warner Bros.
¥1.62 billion ($17.6 million) / 1.47 million :: Tokyo Family :: Tracking Ends :: Shochiku
¥1.37 billion ($14.3 million) / 1.08 million :: Shield of Straw :: 23 :: Warner Bros.
¥1.32 billion ($13.9 million) / 1.05 million :: Library Wars :: 23 :: Toho
¥1.26 billion ($13.7 million) / 1.07 million :: Aibou Series: X-Day :: Tracking Ends :: Toei
¥1.25 billion ($13.9 million) / 0.99 million :: Brain Man :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.17 billion ($13.2 million) / 0.99 million :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.14 billion ($13.0 million) / 1.03 million :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard :: Tracking Ends :: Toei
¥1.13 billion ($12.9 million) / 0.95 million :: Humanoid Monster, Bem :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
¥1.12 billion ($11.4 million) / 0.98 million :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class :: 30 :: Toho
¥1.07 billion ($11.3 million) / 0.87 million :: Jack Reacher :: Tracking Ends :: Paramount
¥1 billion ↑

-Detective Conan becomes the 5th film this box office year to clear ¥3 billion.
-Ralph and Dragon Ball Z are no longer being tracked, but it's almost assured they'll find their way to ¥3 billion.
-Shield of Straw is still doing nice numbers and might pass The Hobbit to become Warner Bros.' #1 film of the year (so far).

Weekend Estimates (5/25-26)

1 (1) The Complex (Shochiku) ¥137 million ($1.4 million), -10%, Week 2
2 (2) Phone Call to a Bar 2 (Toei) ¥84 million ($835,000), -29%, Week 3
3 (3) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥83 million ($820,000), -31%, Week 6
4 (6) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥82 million ($810,000), +7%, Week 5
5 (4) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥79 million ($780,000), -23%, Week 5
6 (5) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) ¥70 million ($690,000), -24%, Week 3
7 (7) Library Wars (Toho) ¥59 million ($580,000), -16%, Week 5
8 (-) It's Me, It's Me (J-Storm) ¥51 milion ($500,000), 0, DEBUT! [65 theaters]
9 (-) Kiss (Toei) ¥45 million ($440,000), 0, DEBUT! [83 theaters]
10 (9) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥43 million ($420,000), -18%, Week 6
11 (8) Middle-School Student Maruyama (Toei) ¥42 million ($410,000), -32%, Week 2

It's been an incredibly slow week at the box-office so I haven't bothered updating anything.

Many great holds this weekend but it's still likely to be the weakest weekend of the year. Shield of Straw is most impressive managing an increase that should lock it up to surpass The Hobbit and become Warner Bros.' top grossing film for the year so far.

Thankfully some bigger releases are coming up soon, beginning with Oblivion this upcoming weekend.

I follow the Japanese thread for a long time now, but I can't remember such a long b.o. drought... When will it be over?

It should end with Oblivion this weekend. The first weekend of June doesn't look that promising, though, but from mid-June through mid-Sept. each weekend has plenty of notable films.