Tokyo, Japan – The R15+ version of The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe (known in Japan as Kitaro Tanjou: GeGeGe no Nazo) made a strong debut, securing the third position at the Japanese box office during its opening weekend. Released on October 4, this “genuine edition,” subtitled Shinsei-ban, was shown in 331 theaters and grossed 156 million yen (approximately $1.05 million) from 97,700 admissions over its first three days, according to data from Kogyo Tsushinsha. This performance closely mirrors that of the original version, which earned 160 million yen ($1.09 million) from 111,500 admissions during its opening weekend last November.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of GeGeGe no Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki, the original Birth of Kitaro was released on November 17, 2023, with a PG12 rating, allowing children under 12 to view it with parental guidance. The film, which runs for 104 minutes, achieved an impressive total of 2.79 billion yen ($18.83 million) from 1.95 million admissions in its initial domestic run.
The R15+ Shinsei-ban edition features 327 revised scenes and re-recorded sound to capture the horror elements envisioned by the production team, thereby restricting its viewership to audiences aged 15 and older.
In other box office news, Fureru, a new original film directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai and written by Mari Okada, premiered simultaneously in 320 theaters on October 4. This 107-minute film earned 103 million yen ($695,570) from 69,000 admissions, ranking fifth in its debut weekend. The team previously collaborated on the youth trilogy, which includes acclaimed titles such as Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and Her Blue Sky. In comparison, Her Blue Sky grossed 166 million yen ($1.13 million) from 126,000 admissions in its own opening weekend.
Fureru received a moderate first-day satisfaction rating of 3.41 out of 5.0 on Filmarks, based on 1,230 reviews.
Meanwhile, The Quintessential Quintuplets, a new special episode from the popular anime series, climbed two spots to seventh place in its final weekend of a three-week theatrical run before transitioning to TV broadcast.
Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Dokidoki ♡Game no Sekai de Daibouken! (translated as Heart-Pounding — A Great Adventure in the World of Games!), the 33rd installment in the Precure franchise, dropped five positions to eighth place in its fourth weekend. The film surpassed one billion yen ($6.76 million) with 800,000 admissions as of October 5, marking it as the highest-grossing non-crossover film in the Precure franchise history.
In the anime landscape, OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom slipped to ninth place in its third weekend, down from second last week.
In contrast, Given The Movie: Umi e, the final entry in the Given anime series, maintained the number one position for three consecutive weeks in Kogyo Tsushinsha’s mini-theater ranking. The film opened in 30 theaters across Japan on September 20.
Additionally, the KING OF PRISM franchise confirmed that KING OF PRISM -Dramatic PRISM.1, a compilation film based on the KING OF PRISM -Shiny Seven Stars- TV series, has grossed 300 million yen ($2.08 million) since its debut on August 16. The series has sold a total of 1.44 million tickets to date, and the film will be available in large formats such as 4DX and ULTRA 4DX starting October 25.
Weekend Box Office Top 10 in Japan (October 4-6, 2024)
(Ranked by ticket sales, with previous week’s placement noted in parentheses)
1. Civil War – 1st Weekend
2. Last Mile – 7th Weekend
3. The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe: Shinsei-ban – 1st Weekend
4. JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL – 1st Weekend
5. Fureru – 1st Weekend
6. All About Suomi – 4th Weekend
7. The Quintessential Quintuplets – 3rd Weekend
8. Wonderful Precure! The Movie! – 4th Weekend
9. OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom – 3rd Weekend
10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – 2nd Weekend
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