Japan Box Office: Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom Ranks 6th in Its Opening Weekend
The anime film adaptation of Nao Iwamoto’s romance fantasy manga Kin no Kuni Mizu no Kuni / Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom was finally released in 331 theaters across Japan on January 27 and ranked sixth in its opening weekend, one position above Avatar: The Way of Water. No official word yet on actual box office numbers.
The 117-minute film ranked third on Filmarks’ first day satisfaction ranking with an average rating of 3.84/5.0 based on 398 reviews. Filmarks’ official Twitter introduces comments such as “A film full of gentleness and wisdom” and “A story about hope and peace that stuck with me because of these times!”
1月27-29日 公開映画
初日満足度ランキング✨????『#金の国水の国』★3.84
????やさしさと賢さが詰まった一作。
????希望と平和を描いた物語は、このご時世だからこそ刺さるものがあった！
鑑賞した方のレビューはこちら????https://t.co/bMcHGcDFON@kinmizu_movie #賀来賢人 #浜辺美波 #マッドハウス pic.twitter.com/FIkuEKGz7H
— Filmarks（フィルマークス） (@Filmarks) January 30, 2023
Stopping THE FIRST SLAM DUNK, which had held the No. 1 position for eight consecutive weeks, was LEGEND & BUTTERFLY, a live-action jidaigeki film commemorating Toei’s 70th anniversary in which Takuya Kimura and Haruka Ayase play Nobunaga Oda and his wife, Nouhime.
The 168-minute film earned a disappointing 497 million yen (3.81 million yen) on 371,000 admissions in its three-say opening weekend, which was only 50 percent of the two-day opening weekend gross of Shin Ultraman, last year’s second top-grossing Japanese live-action film which made 4.44 billion yen (33.79 million USD) from its total deomestic run. Critical reception from audiences has been poor (ranking only fifth on Filmarks’ first day ranking), and given its two billion yen budget, it is doubtful that the film will reach the results desired by the production and distribution companies.
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK dropped to second for the first time since its release on December 3, 2022. In its ninth weekend, the film earned 345 million yen (2.65 million USD) on 230,000 admissions, bringing its total to 9.454 billion yen (72.60 million USD) on 6.475 million admissions. It is expected to reach the 10 billion yen mark by the middle of next month.
RELATED: THE FIRST SLAM DUNK Anime Film Jumps Up to 51st Place on All-Time Japanese Box Office Charts
One Piece Film Red again ranked the same third in its final weekend with 292 million yen (2.24 million USD) on 218,000 admissions. The film, which ended its 26-week theatrical run in Japan on January 29, earned the record-breaking 19.7 billion yen (151 million USD) on 14.27 million admissions in total, becoming the fifth top-grossing Japanese film of all-time.
RELATED: One Piece Film Red Topples Howl’s Moving Castle to Sail to 6th Highest-Grossing Anime Movie in Japan
Makoto Shinkai’s latest feature Suzume earned 274 million yen (2.11 million USD) on 200,000 admission in its 12th weekend, ranking fourth, two positions down from the previous weekend. The film’s cumulative total domestic gross has reached 13.16 billion yen (101.1 million USD) on 9.9 million admissions.
RELATED: Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume Anime Film Cruises to 23rd on All-Time Japanese Box Office Charts
The anime film adaptation of Mizuki Tsujimura’s fantasy novel Kagami no Kojou (English edition title: Lonely Castle in the Mirror) ranked tenth in its fifth weekend, bringing its total to 830 million yen (6.38 million USD). Meanwhile, Meitantei Conan: Haibara Ai Monogatari ~Kurogane no Mystery Train~ (Detective Conan: Ai Haibara Story ~Black Iron Mystery Train~), a new compilation film focuses on the past of Ai Haibara, disappeared from the top 10 in its forth weekend.
The revival screening of Kyoto Animation’s two-part film Free! The Final Stroke began in Japan on January 25. The first part was originally released on September 17, 2021, then the second part followed on April 22, 2022. The Free! anime franchise’s official Twitetr announced on January 30 that the second part’s cumulative box office gross had surpassed ten billion yen (7.68 million USD).
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「劇場版 Free!-the Final Stroke-」後編
㊗️興行収入10億突破！????
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「劇場版 Free!-the Final Stroke-」後編が、興行成績10億円を突破いたしました✨
沢山のご声援、誠にありがとうございます‼️前編・後編 一挙上映はただいま好評上映中????️
引き続きお楽しみください！https://t.co/DCogjl6Ld0 pic.twitter.com/D9PtQHA9FK— 「Free!」シリーズ公式 (@iwatobi_sc) January 30, 2023
Weekend box office Top 10 in Japan (January 27-29, 2023)
(ticket sales basis)
1 (new). “LEGEND & BUTTERFLY” – 497 million yen
2 (1). “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” – 9.454 billion yen
3 (3). “One Piece Film Red” – 19.7 billion yen
4 (2). “Suzume” – 13.16 billion yen
5 (4). “Ichikei’s Crow: The Criminal Court Judges: The Movie” – 570 million yen
6 (new). “Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom”
7 (5). “Avatar: The Way of Water” – 3.72 billion yen
8 (6). “Lager yori Ai wo Komete” – 2.03 billion yen
9 (-). “RRR”
10 (8). “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” – 830 million yen
“Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom” trailer:
Sources: Eiga.com, Pixiin, Filmarks, “Free!” offciial Twitter
©Nao Iwamoto/Shogakukan © “Kin no Kuni Mizu no Kuni” Production Committee
