2017 - Top Grossing Films
Gross ¥ ($) / Admissions [Days in Release] - Film (Distributor)

¥10 billion ↨
¥7.30 billion ($64.4 million) / 5.21 million [E] - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros.)
¥5 billion ↨
¥4.57 billion ($39.5 million) / 3.04 million [E] - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Disney)
¥4.25 billion ($36.9 million) / 2.87 million [66] - Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Sony)
¥3.21 billion ($27.8 million) / 2.89 million [72] - Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie 3 (Toho)
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.31 billion ($19.9 million) / 1.87 million [E] - A Man Called Pirate (Toho)
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.81 billion ($15.6 million) / 1.46 million [E] - Tomorrow, I Will Date With Yesterday's You (Toho)
¥1.79 billion ($15.8 million) / 1.16 million [31] - Doctor Strange (Disney)
¥1.41 billion ($12.5 million) / 1.07 million [E] - The Mole Song 2: Hong Kong Crazy Uproar (Toho)
¥1.36 billion ($12.1 million) / 1.11 million [16] - Partners: The Movie IV (Toei)
¥1.25 billion ($11.0 million) / 0.99 million [30] - Kiseki: Sobito of That Day (Toei)
¥1.06 billion ($9.4 million) / 0.74 million [24] - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Fox)
¥1 billion ↑

Legend:
¥10 billion+ (Uber-Blockbuster) / ¥5 billion+ (Blockbuster) / ¥3 billion+ (Hit) / ¥2 billion+ (Respectable) / ¥1 billion+ (Commercial Success)

Biggest February Opening Weekends [1998-]
Rank - Weekend Gross / Admissions [Screen Count] - Film

01. ¥1.556 billion ($14.7 million) / 1,138,320 [729] - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004)
02. ¥1.130 billion ($9.6 million) / 803,000 [643] - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2003)
03. ¥572.1 million ($5.3 million) / 442,000 [388] - L: Change the World (2008)
04. ¥496.0 million ($4.2 million) / 330,223 [841] - The Martian (2016)
05. ¥456.5 million ($5.6 million) / 312,850 [907] - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2011)
06. ¥428.0 million ($3.6 million) / 283,000 [395] - Red Dragon (2003)
07. ¥425.7 million ($3.8 million) / 308,376 [151] - Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (2017)
08. ¥415.8 million ($3.7 million) / 289,979 [308] - La La Land (2017)
09. ¥402.4 million ($4.3 million) / 318,154 [643] - A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
10. ¥401.7 million ($3.5 million) / 316,539 [347] - Partners: The Movie IV (2017)
11. ¥389.0 million ($3.4 million) / 290,000 [284] - Glory of Team Batista (2008)
12. ¥332.3 million ($2.8 million) / 249,321 [333] - American Sniper (2015)
13. ¥324.6 million ($3.1 million) / 240,894 [384] - The Bourne Supremacy (2005)
14. ¥315.2 million ($3.5 million) / 236,004 [427] - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009)
15. ¥303.7 million ($3.3 million) / 244,385 [561] - Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
>¥300 million+

Three February openers this year (Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, La La Land, Partners IV) made the Top 10 Biggest Opening Weekends for the month. This is already an impressive accomplishment for the 2017 box office to achieve, let's hope this is an early indicator of more to come throughout the year.

Biggest Live-Action Musicals Opening Weekends [1998-]
Rank - Weekend Gross / Admissions [Screen Count] - Film

¥439.0 million ($4.9 million) / 387,118 [334] - Mamma Mia! (2009)
¥426.0 million ($3.6 million) / 328,722 [342] - Into the Woods (2015)
¥415.8 million ($3.7 million) / 289,979 [308] - La La Land (2017)
¥398.7 million ($3.7 million) / 292,516 [400] - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008)
¥334.0 million ($3.3 million) / 248,620 [269] - The Phantom of the Opera (2005)
¥295.4 million ($3.6 million) / 229,225 [360] - Les Miserables (2012)
¥282.4 million ($2.3 million) / 209,806 [259] - Chicago (2003)
¥218.6 million ($1.9 million) / 164,186 [507] - Annie (2015)
¥203.5 million ($1.7 million) / 152,800 [288] - Dreamgirls (2007)
¥130.0 million ($1.1 million) / 98,000 [157] - Moulin Rouge! (2001)
¥120.7 million ($1.4 million) / 88,994 [314] - Nine (2010)
¥119.9 million ($1.0 million) / 90,695 [225] - Hairspray (2007)
¥119.1 million ($1.0 million) / 87,000 [274] - The Producers (2006)
>¥100 million+

Highest-Grossing Live-Action Musicals [1998-]

¥5.89 billion ($65.3 million) / 4.80 million - Les Miserables (2012)
¥4.20 billion ($37.1 million) / 3.26 million - The Phantom of the Opera (2005)
¥3.50 billion ($28.9 million) / 2.65 million - Chicago (2003)
¥2.60 billion ($28.2 million) / 2.14 million - Mamma Mia! (2009)
¥2.38 billion ($20.0 million) / 1.85 million - Into the Woods (2015)
¥2.05 billion ($19.8 million) / 1.53 million - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008)
¥1.92 billion ($16.1 million) / 1.50 million - Dreamgirls (2007)
¥1.40 billion ($11.8 million) / 1.11 million - Annie (2015)
¥1.00 billion ($8.3 million) / 0.78 million - Moulin Rouge! (2001)
¥1.00 billion ($8.0 million) / 0.76 million - The Producers (2006)
>¥1 billion+

I'm rooting for Eastwood. But that is crazy how popular he is in Japan.

Corpse didn't FB open in 2017 shouldn't its opening included in 2017 charts as well?

Alright, this may sound confusing, so read carefully (:P):

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opened on November 23rd, 2016. Therefore, its debut weekend (Nov. 26-27) is a 2016 opening. That's easy enough to understand, so here's where it gets a bit complicated:

Eiren (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.) dictates any film that opens prior to December (the beginning of the Box Office Year in Japan) that grosses ¥1 billion or more, OR more than 50% of its earnings from the start of December, as a release for the following year. That's what happened with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and why it is counted as a 2017 release. Its opening, though, was in November, so that's counted as a 2016 opening weekend.

Pretty much every industry in Japan operates on a December-November calendar, so you'll sometimes notice some "unusual" situations. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for example, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of 2016 at this year's Japan Academy Prize Ceremony, but it was released on December 18th, 2015... and that release date is exactly why it's a 2016 release, and wasn't eligible at last year's Academy Prize Ceremony.

I remember the Nov-Dec calendar year for Japan. Good to know the information

I knew the Dec-Nov calendar thingy, but wasn't aware of Eiren's weird poilcy.

Shin Godzilla wins Best Picture and Best Director
Your Name wins Best Screenwriter and Best Music (Radwimps)
In This Corner of the World wins Best Animated Feature.

Japan Academy Prize
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/第40回日本アカデミー賞

So "In this corner of the world" was the best anime film of last year, not YN and Hideaki anno is such a versatile director, can make both anime and live actions efficiently.

Aw doesn't seem like YN. will enjoy that significant a boost from the awards then.

Omg I had no idea Anno directed this!

I'll have to seek it out first chance I get.


Edit: Oh, just realized you were referring to Shin Godzilla and not ITCOTW.

Haha my bad, I should've mentioned it and "ITCOTW" is directed by Sunao Katabuchi (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunao_Katabuchi) Tbh, I've never heard about him until today, but he previously worked with Miyazaki in Kiki's delivery service as an assistant director.

Sully won Best foreign btw
Is it possible that in this Corner will stay in Theatre til next Oscar? It also won Kinema Junpo best film award (first animated feature to win since Totoro) and three of Mainichi film award. Director's previous animated feature Mai Mai Miracle stayed in Theatre for 7 months. I think Oscars may have a thing for film about slice of life in the middle of the war.

Will In This Corner of the World see a noticeable box office boost from this? It had already fallen out of Top 10 last weekend.

We'll have to wait and see if In This Corner of the World gets a boost, or rather, what size that boost will be.

The problem though is that it fell out of the Top 10 last week, and it's been cut to a single showtime at the majority of its theaters going into this weekend, so it's almost impossible to make a Top 10 comeback this weekend even with a large increase... its pre-sales are up versus last Saturday, but it doesn't have as many showtimes/screens to take advantage of now.

This weekend also begins the Spring Box Office Season with the release of Doraemon, which will be followed by numerous releases over the next few weeks that will demand the screen/showtime attention of theaters.

The Weekend Forecast will be posted in an hour or two.

Your Name. missed out on Best Animation and Best Director, although the two wins (Best Screenplay and Best Music) does make it the only animated film in history to win multiple awards. It's looking to stay flat, or see a minimal decrease this weekend, so a 28th-consecutive week in the Top 10 might be doable (it broke Spirited Away's 26-week record last week).

Sully winning Best Foreign Language Film is expected. Clint Eastwood is nigh-unbeatable in the category; this is his sixth win.

Doraemon (Box-Office History)


Past Doraemon Films (1980-2004):
¥1.55 billion ($11.9 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur (1980)
¥1.75 billion ($14.4 million) - Doraemon: The Record of Nobita: Starblazer (1981)
¥1.22 billion ($9.8 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Haunts of Evil (1982)
¥1.00 billion ($8.1 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Monstrous Underwater Castle (1983)
¥1.65 billion ($13.5 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Adventure into Underworld (1984)
¥1.20 billion ($9.6 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Universe (1985)
¥1.30 billion ($11.1 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Steel Troops (1986)
¥1.50 billion ($13.1 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Dinosaur Knights (1987)
¥1.36 billion ($12.1 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Parallel Journey to the West (1988)
¥2.02 billion ($17.8 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989)
¥1.91 billion ($16.5 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Animal Planet (1990)
¥1.80 billion ($15.8 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Dorabian Nights (1991)
¥1.68 billion ($14.8 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992)
¥1.65 billion ($14.8 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin-Plate Labyrinth (1993)
¥1.35 billion ($13.1 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Fantastical Three Musketeers (1994)
¥1.30 billion ($15.6 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Genesis Diary (1995)
¥1.60 billion ($14.9 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Galactic Express (1996)
¥2.00 billion ($17.9 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Adventure in the Clockwork City (1997)
¥2.10 billion ($18.5 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's South Sea Adventure (1998)
¥2.00 billion ($17.9 million) - Doraemon: Nobita's Adventure: Drifts in the Universe (1999)
¥3.05 billion ($29.0 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King (2000)
¥3.00 billion ($26.7 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001)
¥2.31 billion ($17.6 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Robot Kingdom (2002)
¥2.54 billion ($22.6 million) - Doraemon: Nobita and the Wind Wizard (2003)
¥3.05 billion ($28.7 million) - Doraemon: Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey (2004)

Recent Doraemon Films (2005-2017):
Opening Weekend ¥ ($) / Admissions -> Final Gross ¥ ($) / Admissions - Film (Year)
¥433.3 million ($3.7 million) / 381,700 -> ¥3.28 billion ($27.6 million) / 3.00 million - Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur (2006)
¥559.4 million ($4.8 million) / 501,500 -> ¥3.54 billion ($30.1 million) / 3.20 million - Doraemon: Nobita's New Adventure into the Underworld (2007)
¥516.1 million ($5.1 million) / 462,283 -> ¥3.37 billion ($32.1 million) / 3.05 million - Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant Legend (2008)
¥372.9 million ($3.8 million) / 335,738 -> ¥2.45 billion ($25.2 million) / 2.24 million - Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Starblazer (2009)
¥553.5 million ($6.2 million) / 498,198 -> ¥3.16 billion ($33.6 million) / 2.85 million - Doraemon: Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King (2010)
¥446.3 million ($5.4 million) / 399,139 -> ¥2.46 billion ($31.2 million) / 2.18 million - Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops (2011)
¥552.6 million ($6.9 million) / 485,465 -> ¥3.62 billion ($46.0 million) / 3.35 million - Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles (2012)
¥667.3 million ($7.2 million) / 597,899 -> ¥3.98 billion ($43.2 million) / 3.66 million - Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (2013)
¥600.4 million ($5.9 million) / 530,554 -> ¥3.58 billion ($35.1 million) / 3.28 million - Doraemon: Nobita's Demon - Peko and the Exploration Party (2014)
¥767.2 million ($7.6 million) / 554,991 -> ¥8.38 billion ($80.2 million) / 6.32 million - Stand By Me, Doraemon (2014)
¥644.7 million ($5.4 million) / 557,310 -> ¥3.93 billion ($33.1 million) / 3.48 million - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Hero Record of Space Heroes (2015)
¥637.0 million ($5.6 million) / 544,816 -> ¥4.12 billion ($36.7 million) / 3.63 million - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (2016)
¥???.? million ($?.? million) / ???,??? -> ¥?.?? billion ($??.? million) / ?.?? million - Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic (2017)

Total Franchise Earnings: ¥90.73 billion ($857 million) [#2 All-Time]; 118.52 million admissions [#1 All-Time]

Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic is currently outpacing last year's film by ~27% at the same point-in-time (~2PM) for the day.

I'm not expecting it to quite keep this pace up, but if it does, it's going to easily exceed 600,000 admissions (maybe even 650,000+) over the weekend frame to become the biggest opener in the franchise ever in admissions, and possibly even in revenue.

If it comes in on the high-end of the updated admission projection (650,000+ admissions), that number is going to be quite the challenge for everything else this year to beat. No more than a handful of films have that sort of potential.

At this point, it looks like surpassing Frozen is impossible for Your Name. But it might still reach 25 billion yen, even if it will be a long crawl.

Toho will likely keep it playing until it reaches ¥25 billion. It's not really that difficult of a mark to reach, either, since it'll be less than ¥450 million away after this weekend coming off a ¥50 million+ 28th weekend.

And based on Saturday's results, it's definitely staying in the Top 10 this weekend (28th-consecutive), possibly looking at a single digit decline depending on Sunday. If it can continue to remain in the Top 10 for the next couple weeks, it'll receive a Spring Break boost toward the end of the month.

Update: The 37th Doraemon film ended up beating last year's films first day by 28.4% - highly impressive, and it achieved the biggest opening day ever (in admissions) for the franchise.

Sunday would have to come in usually weak for the film to miss the opening weekend franchise record, so I'm pretty confident in predicting it'll take the record come tomorrow's results. Also, since it's now aiming for 650,000 admissions, it's aiming for the Top 3 Biggest March Opening Weekends as well.