Do you have a list of the top 20? (or more) all-time best selling DVD/Blu-ray?

I would imagine Princess Mononoke or Nauissca would rank high..

That'll be really hard to find, if it even exists. DVD sales in Japan aren't that impressive, and only those with die-hard fans (who are fine paying up to $100 for a DVD/Blu-ray) post good sales since they're so expensive. Selling 100,000 copies is difficult for most films, and selling 200/300,000 copies is incredible. I've only seen a few sell over 400,000.

Only four DVDs have sold over 1 million copies:

1. Spirited Away - 2.35 million
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 1.37 million
3. Howl's Moving Castle - 1.31 million
4. My Neighbor Totoro - 1.18 million

These numbers were only reported because of when My Neighbor Totoro crossed the 1 million mark in 2010. Its still on the DVD sales chart, and holds the record with 593 weeks so far.

In 5th place is probably Ponyo. I know it sold 920,000 before falling off the charts a few years ago after selling 577 copies that week. Like the Box-Office, Hayao Miyazaki also owns the DVD sales chart. And then it would possibly be Michael Jackson's This Is It or Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Redo, both over 800,000 (combined with blu-ray sales).

Some candidates for 500,000+ would be Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Titanic, and the rest of Hayao Miyazaki's library (Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind, and Porco Rosso). Kiki's Delivery Service might be in the Top 10 now that it's very close to the 500,000 mark (498,000). It's been on the sales chart for 538 weeks, second only to Totoro.

And since you're probably wondering, BMP, Monsters Inc. is the best selling Pixar DVD with 196,000 the last time I saw it on any charts. Then Toy Story (190,000), Toy Story 2 (169,000), Finding Nemo (137,000), Cars (135,000), Toy Story 3 (63,000) (Toy Story 3 has sold over 250,000 copies on blu-ray, however).

Weekend Estimates (5/4-5)

1 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥436 million ($4.5 million), +4%, Week 3
2 (2) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥359 million ($3.7 million), -13%, Week 2
3 (4) Library Wars (Toho) ¥218 million ($2.3 million), +1%, Week 2
4 (5) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥212 million ($2.2 million), +14%, Week 2
5 (6) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥179 million ($1.9 million), +19%, Week 3
6 (3) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherriff (Toei) ¥127 million ($1.4 million), -45%, Week 2
7 (7) Lincoln (Disney) ¥87 million ($880,000), -3%, Week 3
8 (8) Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods (Toei) ¥82 million ($830,000), -2%, Week 6
9 (10) We Knit Ship (Shochiku/Asmik Ace) ¥52 million ($530,000), +1%, Week 4
10 (9) The Last Stand (Shochiku) ¥39 million ($400,000), -29%, Week 2

Great weekend to end Golden Week this year.

Detective Conan makes it 3-consecutive weeks on top now and should stay there for one or two more weeks, too.

Iron Man 3's second weekend is greater than Iron Man 2's opening weekend by 35% and 140/145% stronger than it's second weekend. It has without a doubt outgrossed Iron Man 2 now, too, after just 9 or 10 days.

Shield of Straw showed some strength this weekend, with the second best increase when normally family/animated films see the biggest gains. Perhaps this is an indicator that legs may stay strong post-Golden Week for it.

Only one opener went wide, Gangster Squad, and it earned approx. ¥38 million ($390,000) over the weekend probably missing the Top 10.

Biggest 2nd Weekends [Imported-Superhero Films]

1. Spider-Man - ¥1.225 billion
2. Spider-Man 3 - ¥594 million
3. Spider-Man 2 - ¥558 million
4. Hancock - ¥384 million
5. The Amazing Spider-Man - ¥361 million
6. Iron Man 3 - ¥359 million est.
7. The Avengers - ¥313 million
8. X-Men: The Last Stand - ¥235 million
9. The Dark Knight Rises - ¥205 million
10. X2: X-Men United - ¥189 million

Iron Man 2 - ¥146 million
Iron Man - ¥122 million

Biggest 2nd Weekends [All-Time, 2001-]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - ¥1,378,349,047 ($11.5 million) (-32%)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - ¥1,308,720,000 ($10.6 million) (-16%)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - ¥1,260,080,330 ($11.6 million) (-33%)
Howl's Moving Castle - ¥1,249,833,081 ($11.8 million) (-16%)
Spider-Man - ¥1,224,975,078 ($9.7 million) (+1%)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - ¥1,170,215,604 ($9.6 million) (-20%)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - ¥1,113,089,886 ($13.7 million) (-8%)
The Matrix Reloaded - ¥1,091,178,457 ($9.3 million) (-49%)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - ¥1,082,814,567 ($9.0 million) (-21%)
Rookies - ¥1,048,907,143 ($10.9 million) (-14%)
The Da Vinci Code - ¥1,024,964,165 ($9.0 million) (-20%)
Alice in Wonderland - ¥1,023,543,457 ($10.9 million) (-22%)

I figured since I looked up Spider-Man's 2nd weekend earlier, I'd go ahead and compile a list of the biggest 2nd weekends of all-time for future purposes and since The Wind Rises might make the list this July and then Pirates 5 in a couple years.

I'm sorry, but I followed Oricon chart very closely, and I remember differently. Yes, today's DVD sales are low. Selling 300.000 is considered a huge success. But before 2007, more movies had DVD sales more than 1 million copies, including Finding Nemo, and several Harry Potter movies. So I checked again, and I finally found the DVD yearly top 10 chart. According to that and your info, the numbers are :

1. 2,350,000 - Spirited Away
2. 1,565,000* - Finding Nemo
3. 1,514,000* - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. 1,384,000* - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5. 1,370,000 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
6. 1,310,000 - Howl's Moving Castle
7. 1,265,000* - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret
8. 1,197,000* - The Matrix Reloaded
9. 1,180,000 - My Neighbor Totoro
10. 1,158,000* - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
11. 1,125,000* - This is It
12. 1,122,000* - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
13. 1,032,000* - The Last Samurai
14. 943,000* - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
15. 937,000* - The Matrix Revolution
16. 932,999* - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Others :
920,000* - Ponyo
743,000* - The Incredibles
732,000* - Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
598,000* - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
585,000* - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
580,000* - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
570,000* - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
570,000* - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
510,000* - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The * means they might have sold more, because the numbers are based on yearly top 10 chart and there is a possibility that they're still selling the next year but didn't make it to the yearly top 10 chart that year.

Thanks for posting that. And as I said, I wasn't able to find anything beyond the four mentioned in the article, and those few that I've seen on the sales chart before. Did Oricon make DVD sales unavailable after 2007 or something? I check the sales charts there once in awhile, but only CD and Manga sales are listed with the rankings unless first week sales are mentioned for some titles.

And I wonder now if the Pixar DVD sales I posted are those after they returned to the charts at different points in release (like following a new Pixar theatrical release).

As of Monday, Iron Man 3 is up to ¥1,742,410,000 ($17.8 million) and 1,177,698 admissions after 11 days.

That's already nearly 70% more than what Iron Man 2 finished with, and looks good to make around ¥3.2-3.4 billion ($33-36 million). May looks fairly weak this year, so maybe it can push the total a little higher still. The Avengers grossed ¥3.61 billion last year.

There are actually rankings for DVD sales every week. But unlike CD sales, Oricon has never shown any DVD sales numbers unless, like you said, their first week sales are mentioned or a DVD just broke a record or something. They do show the numbers at the end of the year. Every year, there's a yearly chart for everything, including DVD sales, and they actually show the numbers.

For the Pixar DVD sales, I don't know for sure. But yeah, those are probably the sales after they returned to the chart. Or, they are DVDs for the same title, but different versions. Usually they re-release some DVDs of older movies following a theatrical release of a new movie from the same franchise. And those sales are the numbers for the re-released versions, not the original ones.

Btw, Iron Man 3 is going to cross $30 million (and ¥3 billion)? That's great! And some people say its box office in Japan is disappointing . So there's no big local movie this May?

In 2004, Spy Kids 3D: Gameover sold 123,000 units on DVD, which was about $4.7m.

Thanks Corpe and catlover

It's nice to know how some films perform on home video in other countries besides the US

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 ↨
¥3.95 billion ($43.1 million) / 3.62 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: 58 :: Toho
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.93 billion ($31.5 million) / 2.39 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: 45 :: Disney
¥2.87 billion ($29.6 million) / 2.24 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: 37 :: Toei
¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Tracking Ends :: Sony
¥2.52 billion ($25.9 million) / 2.09 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: 16 :: Toho
¥2.51 billion ($27.0 million) / 2.04 million :: Platinum Data :: 51 :: Toho
¥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
¥1.60 billion ($16.4 million) / 1.08 million :: Iron Man 3 :: 10 :: Disney
¥1.26 billion ($13.7 million) / 1.07 million :: Aibou Series: X-Day :: 44 :: 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
¥1.07 billion ($11.3 million) / 0.87 million :: Jack Reacher :: Tracking Ends :: Paramount
¥1 billion ↑

-Doraemon is getting so close to ¥4 billion, but it's going to fall off the map now that I don't think it can get there... hopefully Toho leaves it in wide release long enough to achieve it.
-Wreck-It Ralph and Dragon Ball Z overtake Skyfall this weekend with the help of Golden Week. Both films will reach ¥3 billion.
-Detective Conan already surpassed ¥2.5 billion in three weeks. This is by far the highest 16-day total for the franchise, and like this year's Doraemon and Dragon Ball Z, it may also become the top grossing film in the long-running series with ¥3.5-4 billion.
-Iron Man 3 had no problem debuting on the list and is on course for ¥3 billion.

Strong year so far.

List of records that have already been broken with this year's releases:

One Piece Film Z [Biggest Opening Weekend Ever for a Local Film, Biggest Opening Weekend Overall in over 5 years (since HP5), Highest-Grossing Local Film released in December, and more]
Les Miserables [Highest-Grossing Musical of All-Time among MANY other achievements]
Skyfall [Highest-Grossing Bond Film]
Ted [Highest-Grossing R-Rated Comedy by far, and the Biggest Imported-Comedy in 20 years]
Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum [Highest-Grossing Doraemon Film, Best Opening Weekend in the Franchise]
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods [Highest-Grossing Dragon Ball Z Film, Best Opening Weekend in the Franchise, and Best Opening Weekend for an Animated Film during Spring]
Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea [Very likely to become the Highest-Grossing Detective Conan Film, Best Opening Weekend in the Franchise]

Updated Yearly Predictions (12/1 - 11/30):

[Domestic]
1. The Wind Rises - ¥12.5-15.0 billion ($130-155 million)
2. One Piece Film Z - ¥6.85/6.9 billion ($77/78 million)
3. Pokemon BW: ExtremeSpeed Genesect: Mewtwo Awakens - ¥4.0-5.0 billion ($41-51 million)
4. Galileo: Midsummer Formula - ¥3.5-4.5 billion ($36-47 million)
5. Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum - ¥3.95/4.0 billion ($43/44 million)

Alt. The Girl is the Sun, Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (¥3.5-4.0 billion)

[Foreign]
1. Monsters University - ¥5.0-7.5 billion ($55-80 million)
2. Les Miserables - ¥5.81/5.9 billion ($65/66 million)
3. Ted - ¥4.2/4.3 billion ($46/47 million)
4. Pacific Rim - ¥3.5-4.0 billion ($36-42 million)
5. The Lone Ranger - ¥3.0-4.0 billion ($31-42 million)

Alt. Iron Man 3 (¥3.0-3.5 billion), Wreck-It Ralph (¥3.1/3.2 billion), World War Z

Biggest Film Franchises in Japan (Revenue)

¥96.57 billion ($903 million) :: Harry Potter [8 Films], 2001-2011
¥71.70 billion ($671 million) :: Doraemon [34 Films], 1980-
¥68.49 billion ($660 million) :: Pokemon [15 Films], 1998-
¥43.86 billion ($456 million) :: Detective Conan [17 Films], 1997-
¥40.73 billion ($412 million) :: Bayside Shakedown [4 Films], 1998-2012
¥40.04 billion ($323 million) :: Star Wars [6 Films], 1978-
¥36.65 billion ($361 million) :: Pirates of the Caribbean [4 Films], 2003-
¥27.48 billion ($253 million) :: Jurassic Park [3 Films], 1993-
¥27.29 billion ($236 million) :: The Lord of the Rings [3 Films], 2002-2004
¥26.40 billion ($231 million) :: The Matrix [3 Films], 1999-2003

Biggest Film Franchises in Japan (Admissions)

101.08 million :: Doraemon [34 Films], 1980-
99.25 million :: Godzilla [28 Films], 1954-2004
80.80 million :: Otoko wa Tsurai yo [48 Films], 1969-1995
77.35 million :: Harry Potter [8 Films], 2001-2011
63.74 million :: Pokemon [15 Films], 1998-
36.39 million :: Detective Conan [17 Films], 1997-
32.10 million :: Star Wars [6 Films], 1978-
30.92 million :: Bayside Shakedown [4 Films], 1998-2012
27.11 million :: Pirates of the Caribbean [4 Films], 2003-
20.22 million :: The Lord of the Rings [3 Films], 2002-2004

Updated with slight tweaks from final estimates to final totals for last year's films and for current grosses included for films in release (Doraemon and Conan).

Upcoming Top 10 Franchise Films: Pokemon BW: ExtremeSpeed Genesect: Mewtwo Awakens (July 13th), Doraemon 35 (March 2014), Detective Conan 18 (April 2014), Pokemon 17 (July 2014), Doraemon 36 (March 2015), Detective Conan 19 (April 2015), Star Wars: Episode VII (Summer 2015), Pokemon 18 (July 2015), Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (July 2015)

And who knows about Jurassic Park IV since it's supposedly delayed indefinitely now, correct?

A few notes about Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming film, Kaze Tachinu, being released on July 20th.

The Sankei Sports newspaper is reporting on Friday that 52-year-old Evangelion director, Hideaki Anno, will make his feature anime film voice-acting debut as the protagonist Jirō Horikoshi in Hayao Miyazaki's new film Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Is Rising). This will be the first film from Miyazaki since Ponyo about five years ago.

Anno worked as an animator on Miyazaki's 1984 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and he agreed to do the role when asked due to his long relationship with Miyazaki. Among other small roles, Anno also played a guest role in the 2002 television anime Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. He remarked on how difficult it is to voice the many lines in Horikoshi's fast-paced voice.

**********************

The popular Japanese performer, singer and songwriter, Yumi Matsutoya, 59, will be singing the theme song for the upcoming Hayao Miyazaki anime movie Kaze Tachinu. Her song “Hikouki Gumo” (Airplane Cloud) was composed when she was just 16 years old and will be a part of the official Kaze Tachinu OST. Yumi Matsutoya is the fifth highest-selling recording artist in Japan, with record sales over 40 million since debuting in 1968.

Weekend Forecast (5/11-12)



1 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥240 million ($2.4 million) Week 4
2 (-) Phone Call to the Bar 2 (Toei) ¥220 million ($2.2 million) DEBUT! [305 theaters]
3 (2) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥205 million ($2.1 million) Week 3
4 (-) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) ¥170 million ($1.7 million) DEBUT [291 theaters]
5 (3) Library Wars (Toho) ¥135 million ($1.4 million) Week 3
6 (4) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥130 million ($1.3 million) Week 3
7 (5) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥85 million ($850,000) Week 4
8 (6) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherriff (Toei) ¥75 million ($750,000) Week 3
9 (9) Lincoln (Disney) ¥55 million ($550,000) Week 4
10 (8) Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (Toei) ¥45 million ($450,000) Week 7

Projected Totals after Sunday (¥1 billion+):
Detective Conan - ¥3.1 billion ($32 million) after 4 weeks
Dragon Ball Z - ¥3.0 billion ($31 million) after 7 weeks
Iron Man 3 - ¥2.2 billion ($23 million) after 3 weeks
Library Wars - ¥1.2 billion ($13 million) after 3 weeks
Shield of Straw - ¥1.2 billion ($13 million) after 3 weeks

At the same point in time (Post-Golden Week),

2013 Vs. 2012 [Top 12 Films Comparison]
Total Gross / Admissions :: Film :: Days in Release :: Distributor

2013
01 :: ¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) / 5.67 million :: One Piece Film Z :: Final Estimate :: Toei
02 :: ¥5.81 billion ($64.8 million) / 4.74 million :: Les Miserables :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
03 :: ¥4.19 billion ($46.0 million) / 3.08 million :: Ted :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
04 :: ¥3.95 billion ($43.1 million) / 3.62 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: 58 :: Toho
05 :: ¥2.93 billion ($31.5 million) / 2.39 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: 45 :: Disney
06 :: ¥2.87 billion ($29.6 million) / 2.24 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: 37 :: Toei
07 :: ¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Tracking Ends :: Sony
08 :: ¥2.52 billion ($25.9 million) / 2.09 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: 16 :: Toho
09 :: ¥2.51 billion ($27.0 million) / 2.04 million :: Platinum Data :: 51 :: Toho
10 :: ¥2.11 billion ($23.5 million) / 1.70 million :: Strawberry Night :: Final Estimate :: Toho
11 :: ¥2.03 billion ($22.3 million) / 1.49 million :: A Good Day to Die Hard :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
12 :: ¥1.82 billion ($21.1 million) / 1.26 million :: Life of Pi :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
Top 12 Total: ¥40.4 billion ($444.1 million) / 32.5 million admissions


2012
01 :: ¥5.40 billion ($70.8 million) / 4.24 million :: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol :: Final Estimate :: Paramount
02 :: ¥3.57 billion ($44.6 million) / 3.23 million :: Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: 65 :: Toho
03 :: ¥3.34 billion ($42.5 million) / 2.63 million :: ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street '64 :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
04 :: ¥3.08 billion ($40.3 million) / 2.31 million :: Kaibutsu-Kun: The Movie :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
05 :: ¥2.81 billion ($35.1 million) / 2.37 million :: Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: 23 :: Toho
06 :: ¥2.51 billion ($31.2 million) / 2.09 million :: We Were There: Part I :: 51 :: Toho/Asmik Ace
07 :: ¥2.22 billion ($27.8 million) / 1.65 million :: Thermae Romae :: 9 :: Toho
08 :: ¥2.13 billion ($26.6 million) / 1.64 million :: SPEC: The Movie :: 30 :: Toho
09 :: ¥2.12 billion ($26.5 million) / 1.74 million :: Liar Game: Reborn :: Tracking Ends :: Toho
10 :: ¥1.96 billion ($24.4 million) / 1.67 million :: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows :: Tracking Ends :: Warner Bros.
11 :: ¥1.90 billion ($23.7 million) / 1.45 million :: K-ON! The Movie :: Tracking Ends :: Shochiku
12 :: ¥1.77 billion ($22.9 million) / 1.38 million :: In Time :: Tracking Ends :: Fox
Top 12 Total: ¥32.8 billion ($416.4 million) / 26.4 million admissions

It IS a strong year so far. Especially for Hollywood movies. This time last year there was only 1 movie with more than ¥2 billion. This year there are 5! And 3 of them have grossed more than (or about to reach) ¥3 billion. IM3 is gonna be there too, right? Good sign for the rest of Hollywood movies this year.

Local movies, especially animation, are doing great too. Almost ¥7 billion for One Piece, ¥3 billion for Dragon Ball, and Doraemon & Conan making more than last year.

There was nowhere to go but up this year for Hollywood. 2012 was their worst year since I think it was 1999. So far, 2013 is being very good for them and hopefully it continues further into the Summer. Local films keep doing better and better each year, but for the overall box-office to benefit, Hollywood films need to perform well, too.

Iron Man 3 will likely reach ¥3 billion.

Weekend Estimates (5/11-12)



1 (-) Phone Call to the Bar 2 (Toei) ¥152 million ($1.5 million) DEBUT! [305 theaters]
2 (1) Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Toho) ¥136 million ($1.4 million), -68%, Week 4
3 (-) Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division (Toho) ¥129 million ($1.3 million) DEBUT [291 theaters]
4 (2) Iron Man 3 (Disney) ¥125 million ($1.3 million), -65%, Week 3
5 (3) Library Wars (Toho) ¥89 million ($890,000), -60%, Week 3
6 (4) Shield of Straw (Warner Bros.) ¥83 million ($830,000), -61% Week 3
7 (6) Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherriff (Toei) ¥71 million ($710,000), -48%, Week 3
8 (5) Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class (Toho) ¥58 million ($580,000), -61%, Week 4
9 (8) Lincoln (Disney) ¥31 million ($310,000), -61%, Week 4
10 (7) Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (Toei) ¥19 million ($190,000), -77%, Week 7

Yikes. It's been awhile since two of the Golden Week holidays fell on both Saturday and Sunday, and the effect of that happening last week can been seen with these massive drops. And this is probably the only time a Kamen Rider film will ever have the best hold in the Top 10. It was mostly unaffected by the post-Golden Week dip since it has a firm fanbase.

Decent debut for Phone Call to the Bar 2. It might be able to reach the ¥1 billion ($10 million) mark. Opening the week after Golden Week (or any major Holiday week in Japan) is generally never good, though.

Awesome work with this thread Corpse. Love all those charts, very interesting.

Is there anywhere in this thread a chart where the grosses for all the Miyazaki movies are listed?

I'm actually working on that very list today. It's just taking a little time because I'm going to include as much box-office info as I can for all of them.

I have some screenshots to share of his upcoming film, too, and despite his films being among the biggest, I don't think I've ever listed them beyond including them on misc. lists like best opening weekends, multipliers, etc.

And thank you!

Hayao Miyazaki's Box Office History

1 Spirited Away (July 20, 2001)
Total: ¥30.4 billion ($244 million)
Admissions: 23.5 million
Opening: ¥1.001 billion ($8.9 million), 810,000 admissions [318 screens]
Budget: ¥1.9 billion ($18 million)
# of Cels Used: 110,000
Achievements: #1 Film of 2001 - 1st Highest-Grossing Film and 1st Most-Attended Film of All-Time

2 Howl's Moving Castle (November 20, 2004)
Total: ¥22.0 billion ($207 million)
Admissions: 15.0 million
Opening: ¥1.481 billion ($14.0 million), 1.104 million admissions [448 screens]
Budget: ¥2.4 billion ($23.1 million)
# of Cels Used: 148,000
Achievements: #1 Film of 2005 - 3rd Highest-Grossing Film and 4th Most-Attended Film of All-Time

3 Princess Mononoke (July 12, 1997)
Total: ¥19.3 billion ($165.5 million)
Admissions: 14.2 million
Opening: N/A [260 screens]
Budget: ¥2.35 billion ($19.4 million)
# of Cels Used: 144,000
Achievements: #1 Film of 1997 - 5th Highest-Grossing Film and 5th Most-Attended Film of All-Time

4 Ponyo (July 19, 2008)
Total: ¥15.5 billion ($164 million)
Admissions: 12.87 million
Opening: ¥1.034 billion ($9.8 million), 812,000 admissions [481 screens]
Budget: ¥3.4 billion ($32 million) *Most Expensive Local Production of All-Time*
# of Cels Used: 170,000 *All-Time Record*
Achievements: #1 Film of 2008 - 9th Highest-Grossing Film and 7th Most-Attended Film of All-Time

5 Porco Rosso (July 18, 1992)
Total: ¥4.05 billion ($32.5 million)
Admissions: 3.5 million
Opening: N/A
Budget: ¥1.2 billion ($9 million)
# of Cels Used: 72,000
Achievements: #1 Film of 1992

6 Kiki's Delivery Service (July 29, 1989)
Total: ¥2.17 billion ($18.2 million)
Admissions: 2.64 million
Opening: N/A
Budget: ¥800 million ($6 million)
# of Cels Used: 67,000
Achievements: #3 Film of 1989 and Miyazaki's first Box-Office Hit.

Also wanted to note that Studio Ghibli films, especially those directed by Miyazaki, are the most expensive local films to produce because he doesn't allow more than 10% of their films to utilize CGI. 90%+ of all their films are still hand-drawn. By comparison, Walt Disney stopped using Cels after The Little Mermaid.

And now here are the first stills from Miyazaki's new film, The Wind Rises (July 20, 2013), his first film since 2008.