The animated film Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Shinsei-ban (True Birth Version), a recut of Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo (The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe), has slipped from its initial #3 position to #5 in its second weekend of release. From Friday to Sunday, the film garnered approximately 71,939,840 yen (around US$482,400), bringing its cumulative earnings to 272,393,960 yen (approximately US$1.82 million). Notably, both versions of the film have achieved a combined total exceeding 3 billion yen (about US$20.10 million).
In its opening weekend, the film ranked #3, selling 97,700 tickets and earning 156,305,640 yen (about US$1.05 million) in the first three days. Released on October 4 in Japan, the new version features approximately 327 retaken cuts and re-dubbed lines, with a rating of R15+, compared to the original PG12 rating.
The original version debuted in November 2023, selling 111,500 tickets and earning 160,106,620 yen (about US$1.07 million) during its opening weekend, ultimately accumulating a total of 2,472,410,610 yen (around US$16.79 million) by January 28.
Directed by Gō Koga of Toei Animation and penned by Hiroyuki Yoshino, Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Shinsei-ban is part of a series of four significant projects commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Shigeru Mizuki, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 93. One of these projects includes the Akuma Kun anime, which premiered on Netflix in November 2023.
In other box office news, Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Doki Doki Game no Sekai de Daiboken (Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Grand Adventure in a Thrilling Game World) maintained its position at #8 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 42,029,650 yen (approximately US$281,500), accumulating a total of 1,095,162,740 yen (around US$7.33 million) since its release on September 13. It ranked #2 during its opening weekend, selling 295,000 tickets and earning 367 million yen (about US$2.59 million) in the first three days.
This latest installment follows characters Komugi and Iroha as they navigate the thrilling video game world of Doki Doki Tanukingdom (Thrilling Raccoon-Dogkingdom), featuring appearances from characters of Soaring Sky! Precure and Maho Girls Precure!
Directed by Naoki Miyahara and scripted by Yoichi Kato, the film has seen strong ticket sales, marking the second-highest three-day opening for the Precure franchise, just behind last year’s Precure All Stars F film.
Meanwhile, the new original anime film Fureru. from the Super Peace Busters creative team experienced a decline from #5 to #10 in its second weekend. The film earned 35,004,900 yen (about US$234,500), with a cumulative total of 173,915,700 yen (approximately US$1.16 million). Released on October 4, Fureru. sold 69,000 tickets and earned 102,554,300 yen (around US$692,200) during its opening weekend.
Fureru. follows three childhood friends connected by a mysterious creature as they navigate life in Tokyo. The film features nine cast members from previous works by the Super Peace Busters team, including anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and Her Blue Sky. Directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai with a screenplay by Mari Okada, the film includes a theme song performed by YOASOBI titled “Monotone.”
In related box office updates, Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom (Gekijō-ban Overlord Sei Ōkoku-hen) has dropped from the top 10 in its fourth weekend but earned 38,566,860 yen (about US$258,400), totaling 910,185,100 yen (approximately US$6.09 million) overall.
Additionally, Mrs. Green Apple // The White Lounge in CINEMA, showcasing the band’s concert tour, remains off the top 10 but earned 69,849,400 yen (about US$468,000), accumulating 1,653,737,000 yen (around US$11.08 million) in total.
Lastly, Eiga Given: Umi e (Given The Movie: To the Sea), the second film in the two-part sequel project, continues to lead the mini-theater rankings, remaining at #1 in its fourth weekend since opening on September 20.
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