Yes, Dragon Ball Z: Revival of F will have the higher avg. ticket price advantage, as well as a freebie incentive to attend early going out to the first 1.5 million attendees that includes a book that features artwork and the movie's script, and arcade cards/certificates that can be used for various Dragon Ball games.

Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno has the weekend familiarity and a history of higher opening weekends (last year's film was the second biggest of 2014) to its advantage, and the new film features the incredibly popular Kaito Kid this year (who now stars in his own popular anime series, Magic Kaito 1412), too.

It's going to be one of the biggest weekend's to track this year.

Is the final Rebuild of Evangelion film still slated for 2015?

Corpse, what do you think FF7 can make compared to the previous films?

It's still TBA for Winter 2015, but it's pretty likely to release in November/December. The creator/director, Hideaki Anno, has been announced as chief director for the upcoming Godzilla reboot being released in 2016, so he's pretty much done with the final Evangelion film with that announcement I believe.

And if they don't release it this year, then they can't get Utada Hikaru to release her comeback song for the film (some issue with the record label), and they won't pass up being involved in her long-awaited return to the music industry.



I see any reason why it shouldn't become the biggest release in the franchise following the extra promotion it's receiving from being an enormous success around the world already. The last film grossed ¥1.91 billion, so maybe ¥2.5 billion? It's biggest issue is having to settle for the 3rd/4th biggest screens everywhere since Detective Conan and Dragon Ball Z will get top billing this weekend, and then Cinderella and Parasyte Part 2 will end up sharing them the following week.

Top Grossing Films - 2015
Gross ¥ ($) / Admissions [Days in Release] - Film (Distributor)

¥10 billion ↨
¥9.15 billion ($77.6 million) / 7.19 million [114] - Big Hero 6 (Disney) #41 All-Time
¥7.71 billion ($65.6 million) / 6.93 million [114] - Yo-Kai Watch: It's the Secret of Birth, Nyan! (Toho) #62 All-Time
¥5 billion ↨
¥3.67 billion ($30.8 million) / 3.28 million [37] - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes (Toho)
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.37 billion ($19.7 million) / 2.09 million [23] - Assassination Classroom (Toho)
¥2.18 billion ($18.2 million) / 1.68 million [51] - American Sniper (Warner Bros.)
¥2.17 billion ($18.1 million) / 1.69 million [30] - Into the Woods (Disney)
¥2.12 billion ($17.8 million) / 1.81 million [30] - Strobe Edge (Toho)
¥2.00 billion ($17.0 million) / 1.58 million [F] - Parasyte (Part 1) (Toho)
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.94 billion ($16.5 million) / 1.52 million [E] - The Last: Naruto the Movie (Toho)
¥1.86 billion ($16.0 million) / 1.58 million [E] - Ao Haru Ride (Toho)
¥1.54 billion ($13.3 million) / 1.10 million [E] - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Warner Bros.)
¥1.43 billion ($12.0 million) / 1.13 million [24] - Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb (Fox)
¥1.30 billion ($11.0 million) / 1.04 million [E] - The Vancouver Asahi (Toho)
¥1.30 billion ($11.0 million) / 1.04 million [E] - Annie (Sony)
¥1.25 billion ($10.5 million) / 0.97 million [58] - Terrace House: Closing Door (Toho)
¥1.21 billion ($10.2 million) / 0.81 million [E] - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount)
¥1.00 billion ($8.5 million) / 0.79 million [E] - ST: Scientific Investigation Squad (Toho)
¥1 billion ↑

[E] = Estimate (Tracking Ends)
[F] = Final Total (Reported Total)

Top Grossing Films - 2014

2015 #1 Films
Dec. 06-07 - The Last: Naruto the Movie - ¥515 million ($4.4 million) W1
Dec. 13-14 - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - ¥287 million ($2.5 million) W1
Dec. 20-21 - Yo-Kai Watch: It's the Secret of Birth, Nyan! - ¥1.63 billion ($14.0 million) W1 [#1 All-Time Domestic OW]
Dec. 27-28 - Yo-Kai Watch: It's the Secret of Birth, Nyan! - ¥597 million ($5.1 million) W2
Jan. 03-04 - Big Hero 6 - ¥665 million ($5.6 million) W1
Jan. 10-11 - Big Hero 6 - ¥546 million ($4.6 million) W2
Jan. 17-18 - Big Hero 6 - ¥426 million ($3.7 million) W3
Jan. 24-25 - Big Hero 6 - ¥349 million ($3.0 million) W4
Jan. 31-Feb. 01 - Big Hero 6 - ¥307 million ($2.6 million) W5
Feb. 07-08 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - ¥259 million ($2.2 million) W1
Feb. 14-15 - Terrace House: Closing Door - ¥251 million ($2.1 million) W1
Feb. 21-22 - American Sniper - ¥332 million ($2.8 million) W1
Feb. 28-Mar. 01 - American Sniper - ¥292 million ($2.5 million) W2
Mar. 07-08 - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes - ¥645 million ($5.4 million) W1
Mar. 14-15 - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes - ¥475 million ($3.9 million) W2
Mar. 21-22 - Assassination Classroom - ¥411 million ($3.4 million) W1
Mar. 28-29 - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes - ¥309 million ($2.6 million) W3
Apr. 04-05 - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes - ¥255 million ($2.1 million) W4
Apr. 11-12 - Solomon's Perjury (Part 2) - ¥162 million ($1.4 million) W1

2014 #1 Films

What are these check-ins?

Don't take them to mean much. They're just users who have expressed interest in seeing a film.

I'll have more on the showdown between the two films this weekend tomorrow, but so far, Detective Conan is receiving the biggest screens at the theaters that have released their weekend seating.

I have a major movie update coming up tonight in the meantime. It's the only film this year that can possibly overtake Big Hero 6.

I don't really understand what you mean by that.

The DBZ movie, is it still releasing in like 600+ theatres?

Detective Conan is getting the biggest screens (the 400, 500, 600+ seat auditoriums) at the theaters that have released their weekend seating.

600 theaters is impossible. It's currently set for 328 theaters (should increase a few by Saturday). No film has ever played at more than 371 theaters. All major wide releases are generally released in 340-360 theaters (including Hollywood blockbusters).

Dragon Ball Z will probably be receiving the announced 600+ screens, though, since it'll have IMAX and/or 3D screens at most locations.

A ton of information, including the casting and the full-length trailer, for Mamoru Hosoda's upcoming film, The Boy and the Beast, was released yesterday.

Mamoru Hosoda and his studio, Studio Chizu, are widely considered Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's successors in Japan.

Since the release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in 2006, each of Hosoda's later releases have more than doubled their predecessor at the box-office (2012's Wolf Children even became the highest-grossing non-brand animated film ever), and each has also won the Best Animated Feature Prize at the Japan Academy Awards, among many other awards in Japan and internationally.

If history repeats itself, then The Boy and the Beast will be to Hosoda what Princess Mononoke was to Miyazaki.

Mamoru Hosoda's The Boy and the Beast (July 11th, 2015) - Casting & Full Trailer:





Casting:

Koji Yakusho as Kumatetsu


Aoi Miyazaki as child Kyuta


Shota Sometani as adolescent Kyuta


Suzu Hirose in her debut voice-acting role as Kaede, a high school student Kyuta meets


Sumire Morohoshi as Chiko


Masahiko Tsugawa as Grand Master


Lily Franky as Monk Momoaki


Yo Oizumi as Tatara


Kazuhiro Yamaji as Iōzan


Haru Kuroki as child Ichirōhiko


Mamoru Miyano as older Ichirōhiko


Momoka Ohno as child Jiromaru


Kappei Yamaguchi as older Jiromaru


Full-Length Trailer:


Narrator: Apart from the human realm, there is another realm that you don't know.
Kumatetsu: Hey, you alive or dead?
Kyūta: I—it's a monster.
Kumatetsu: You coming with me?
Narrator: The realm of beasts.
Text: From The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children director Mamoru Hosoda.
Text and Narrator: Kyūta, the boy who is all alone.
Kumatetsu: From now on, this boy is my disciple.
Text and Narrator: Kumatetsu, a rowdy beast.
Text: The Boy and The Beast as student and master?!
Narrator: Thus begins an unlikely bond between student and master.
Kumatetsu: I'm your master!
Kyūta: I'm not your disciple!
Narrator: They will push each other.
Tatara: Just give it a rest. Why did you even take a human boy as a disciple?
Narrator: They will understand each other.
Narrator: And before they notice it, they will share an irreplaceable connection.
Kyūta: Don't lose, Kumatetsu!
Kumatetsu: Kyūta...
Text: This summer, Studio Chizu presents a moving masterpiece.
Text: If I'm with you...
Kaede: Where did you come from?
Text: ...I can become stronger.
Text and Narrator: The Boy and The Beast

Sources: Eiga /ANN

Oh ok I get what you mean. Do you know how many theatres Battle of Gods was shown in? BOM says it was shown on 312 screens so this one is being shown on twice as many yeah?

If the DBZ movie is really getting 600+ screens then it makes sense for the Conan movie to get the bigger screens. Basically, the former will have more smaller screens of different types (2D, 3D, IMAX) while the latter will get less but bigger screens most of them 2D.

In the end, the number of screens is important, but you also have to look at the number of seats available.

The animation is lovely for The Boy and the Beast.

Yep, and it should be a major hit this Summer.

But before that, this upcoming weekend is going to be quite eventful and likely the biggest outside of Summer, with Detective Conan and Dragon Ball Z facing off for the #1 spot, and Furious 7 and the latest Crayon Shin-chan film also open over the weekend, too!

I'll begin previewing the weekend soon.

Toho Cinemas (2nd Largest Chain), Saturday Seating/Showtimes:

Top 5
124,421 (29.5% 3D) [409 showtimes] - Dragon Ball Z: Revival of F (NEW)
123,400 [387 showtimes] - Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno (NEW)
91,406 (2.3% 3D) [411 showtimes] - Furious 7 (NEW)
60,681 [305 showtimes] - Crayon Shin-chan: My Moving Story! Cactus Large Attack! (NEW)
37,493 [277 showtimes] - Vampire in Love (NEW)
24,913 [177 showtimes] - Assassination Classroom (Week 5)

Dragon Ball Z's count includes 3 IMAX showings for a total of 927 seats.

I'll post the full seating/showtime arrangement for the usual locations (43% of the market) tomorrow.

Could you explain what all these numbers represent, I don't get it.

It's the number of seats for each movie at Toho Cinemas which is one of the main chains in Japan.

Negligeable difference in seatings there. I thought DBZ would have more IMAX showings too, but maybe there will be more elsewhere. What about 4DX screenings ?

Also, Corpse, why not include the 'Lupin III vs DC' movie in the Conan total ?

Oh its 124,000 I thought they were two different numbers lol.

IMAX still isn't big or very popular in Japan, with there being just 19 IMAX theaters in the entire market at the moment. Toho Cinemas also just opened their first IMAX theater this year.

DBZ doesn't have any 4D showings at Toho Cinemas, nor do I see any elsewhere right now. There's probably just a handful of theaters in Japan that support or show 4D movies.

And the Lupin III film is a spin-off that I didn't include in the main franchise. It's actually the second time there has been a Lupin III and Detective Conan collaboration, so it's kind of become a mini-franchise itself.