Was there a Summer which had 2 movies grossed more than 10B Yen?

If you count the Japanese Summer Schedule (July-August), I don't think so. The closest was in 2010.

Monsters University will have a hard time reaching that figure though. Not completely impossible, but it's still tracking behind Toy Story 3, and it grossed 10.8 billion.

Hayao Miyazaki's Most Recent Work:

Opening Weekends:
¥1.483 billion ($14.0 million) / 1,104,980 :: Howl's Moving Castle (Nov. 2004)
¥1.025-1.200 billion ($10.5-12.2 million) / 820-920,000 :: The Wind Rises (July 2013) *Preliminary Estimate*
¥1.034 billion ($9.8 million) / 812,557 :: Ponyo (July 2008)
¥1.005 billion ($8.9 million) / 810,000 :: Spirited Away (July 2001)

Totals:
¥30.4 billion ($244 million) / 23.5 million [30.24x] :: Spirited Away (July 2001) #1 All-Time
¥22.0 billion ($207 million) / 15.0 million [14.83x] :: Howl's Moving Castle (Nov. 2004) #3 All-Time
¥19.3 billion ($165.5 million) / 14.2 million [N/A] :: Princess Mononoke (July 1997) #5 All-Time
¥15.5 billion ($164 million) / 12.87 million [14.99x] :: Ponyo (July 2008) #9 All-Time

Fastest Films to ¥10 billion:

Spoiler: show

Spirited Away - 25 days
Ponyo - 31 days
Howl's Moving Castle - 33 days
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 35 days
Alice in Wonderland - 37 days
Princess Mononoke - 43 days
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 44 days
Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge! - 48 days
Avatar - 50 days
Finding Nemo - 52 days
The Last Samurai - 52 days
Toy Story 3 - 52 days
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 53 days
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - 53 days
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 67 days
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - 79 days

Most-Consecutive Weeks at #1 (Since 1998)

Spoiler: show

Spirited Away (16)
Armageddon (14)
Avatar (10)
Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge (9)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (9)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (9)
Howl's Moving Castle (9)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (9)
Alice in Wonderland (7)
Hero (7)
Spider-Man (7)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (7)
20th Century Boys: The Final Chapter (6)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (6)
Monsters Inc (6)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (6)
Ponyo (6)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (6)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (6)
The Matrix (6)
The Sixth Sense (6)
Umizaru: The Last Message (6)

Most-Consecutive Weeks in the Top 10 (Since 1998)

Spoiler: show

Spirited Away (26)
Howl's Moving Castle (21)
Armageddon (20)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (18)
Bayside Shakedown (18)
Avatar (16)
Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge! (16)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (16)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (16)
Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World (15)
Monsters Inc. (15)
The Green Mile (15)
Deep Impact (15)
Ponyo (14)
The Last Samurai (14)
The Matrix (14)

I checked again for you and here are the closest Summers (expanding the range to include May and June) with at least one ¥10 billion film:

2010
¥10.80 billion - Toy Story 3 (July)
¥9.25 billion - Arrietty (July)
¥7.31 billion - Bayside Shakedown 3 (July)
2008
¥15.50 billion - Ponyo (July)
¥7.75 billion - Boys Over Flowers (June)
2007
¥10.90 billion - Pirates of the Carribbean 3 (May)
¥9.40 billion - Harry Potter 5 (July)
¥7.12 billion - Spider-Man 3 (May)
2006
¥10.02 billion - Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (July)
¥9.05 billion - The Da Vinci Code (May)
¥7.65 billion - Tales from Earthsea (July)
2004
¥13.50 billion - Harry Potter 3 (July)
¥8.50 billion - Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World (May)
2003
¥17.35 billion - Bayside Shakedown 2 (July)
¥11.00 billion - The Matrix Reloaded (June)
¥8.20 billion - Terminator 3 (July)

If you include June in the Summer schedule, Summer 2003 is the only year with two ¥10 billion films. But Summer season technically begins in July.

Thanks.

Weekend Ranking [7/20-21]



1 (-) The Wind Rises (Toho) DEBUT
2 (1) Monsters University (Disney) Week 3
3 (2) Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (Toho) Week 2
4 (3) Midsummer Formula (Toho) Week 4
5 (4) Fast and Furious 6 (Toho-Towa) Week 3
6 (5) Gintama: The Final Chapter (Warner Bros.) Week 3
7 (6) Anpanman: Handkerchief of Hope! (Tokyo Theaters, Co.) Week 3
8 (8) To Cry 100 Times (Showgate) Week 5
9 (7) Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (Presido) Week 2
10 (10) The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.) Week 6
11 (11) Ninja Kids 2 (Toei) Week 3

The Wind Rises opened on 454 screens to 747,451 admissions and grossed ¥960,885,850 ($9.8 million) over the weekend. This is a little less than indicated by Toho Cinemas and Toho's mid-day Saturday report. But it's still the biggest opening weekend of the calendar year, earning 94% of what Miyazaki's last film, Ponyo in 2008, earned on opening weekend. It's also 7% greater than what Studio Ghibli's highest-grossing non-Miyazaki film, Arrietty, opened to in 2010.

Audience Breakdown:
Male (47%) : Female (53%)
20-29 year olds (25.4%)
40-49 year olds (22.7%)
30-39 year olds (14.7%)
50+ year olds (14.7%)
16-19 year olds (13.0%)

It's really hard to determine what it may end up grossing at this time, but only one Ghibli film, Tales from Earthsea (also their worst received film), has failed to get a multiplier of 10 or more with Miyazaki's films getting the better legs. If it keeps pace with Ponyo, it's heading for ¥14 billion ($140-150 million) and 11 million admissions. If it follows Arrietty's path more closely, then it's aiming for right about ¥10 billion ($100-110 million) and 8 million admissions.

No film since 2010 has been able to gross ¥10 billion at the box-office, and only then did one of them manage it when you removed the 3D premium - Avatar. The last film before that was Ponyo in 2008.

2013 Opening Weekends
2-Day Weekend Gross / Admissions :: Film [Screen Count]

¥1.372 billion ($16.7 million) / 1,140,081 :: One Piece Film Z [300] *All-Time Domestic Admissions Record*
¥1 billion ↨
¥960.9 million ($9.8 million) / 747,451 :: The Wind Rises [454] DEBUT
¥847.4 million ($8.5 million) / 614,969 :: Monsters University [661]
¥750 million ↨
¥683.9 million ($7.3 million) / 561,098 :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods [312]
¥671.6 million ($6.9 million) / 565,914 :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea [344]
¥667.3 million ($7.2 million) / 597,899 :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum [353]
¥500 million ↨
¥486.3 million ($5.0 million) / 464,839 :: Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens [345]
¥464.9 million ($4.8 million) / 363,451 :: Midsummer Formula [415]
¥456.8 million ($5.5 million) / 357,976 :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge [257]
¥454.6 million ($5.4 million) / 398,754 :: 007: Skyfall [578]
¥445.6 million ($4.5 million) / 330,385 :: Fast and Furious 6 [610]
¥414.7 million ($4.3 million) / 273,766 :: Iron Man 3 [535]
¥402.4 million ($4.4 million) / 318,514 :: A Good Day to Die Hard [643]
¥400.5 million ($4.3 million) / 305,743 :: Platinum Data [310]
¥400 million ↨
¥349.7 million ($3.5 million) / 307,701 :: Oblivion [365]
¥339.7 million ($3.7 million) / 267,276 :: Wreck-It Ralph [416]
¥329.8 million ($3.7 million) / 219,536 :: Life of Pi [713]
¥326.2 million ($3.6 million) / 229,584 :: Ted [253]
¥317.9 million ($3.6 million) / 241,095 :: Strawberry Night [311]
¥300 million ↨
¥295.4 million ($3.4 million) / 229,295 :: Les Miserables [360]
¥281.9 million ($2.9 million) / 221,469 :: Gintama: The Final Chapter [127]
¥281.6 million ($3.3 million) / 244,870 :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze [298]
¥269.9 million ($2.9 million) / 184,281 :: Oz: The Great and Powerful [582]
¥233.5 million ($2.4 million) / 201,006 :: Kamen Rider X Super Sentai X Space Sherrif: Super Hero Z [289]
¥227.8 million ($2.7 million) / 187,422 :: Jack Reacher [321]
¥225.3 million ($2.3 million) / 199,993 :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class [324]
¥225.3 million ($2.7 million) / 188,378 :: Today, I Started Loving You [301]
¥220.5 million ($2.6 million) / 146,315 :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [878]
¥216.8 million ($2.3 million) / 164,178 :: Library Wars [311]
¥211.2 million ($2.4 million) / 169,600 :: Aibou Series: X-Day [198]
¥209.6 million ($2.4 million) / 194,902 :: Tokyo Family [317]
¥207.8 million ($2.1 million) / 142,246 :: G.I. Joe: Retaliation [628]
¥206.4 million ($2.3 million) / 166,049 :: Brain Man [302]
¥206.3 million ($2.3 million) / 175,438 :: Humanoid Monster, Bem [331]
¥200.5 million ($2.1 million) / 158,406 :: After Earth [571]
¥200 million ↨
¥196.6 million ($2.1 million) / 175,930 :: Pretty Cure All Stars: New Stage 2 [174]
¥186.9 million ($1.9 million) / 145,148 :: Shield of Straw [325]
¥173.5 million ($1.9 million) / 172,222 :: Inazuma Eleven GO: Ultimate Bonds [270]
¥162.9 million ($1.7 million) / 137,546 :: Lincoln [331]
¥161.8 million ($1.7 million) / 113,172 :: The Great Gatsby [571]
¥156.3 million ($1.7 million) / 129,920 :: Flight [321]
¥154.7 million ($1.5 million) / 117,032 :: Phone Call to a Bar 2 [304]
¥154.6 million ($1.6 million) / 119,092 :: To Cry 100 Times [223]
¥153.4 million ($1.5 million) / 118,885 :: The Complex [162]
¥137.1 million ($1.6 million) / 138,287 :: Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters vs. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger [175]
¥126.1 million ($1.3 million) / 107,368 :: Miracle Apples [305]
¥124.4 million ($1.2 million) / 98,076 :: Prefecture Government's Hospitality Division [293]
¥119.9 million ($1.4 million) / 92,646 :: Looper [201]
¥114.7 million ($1.3 million) / 94,122 :: Taken 2 [288]
¥113.7 million ($1.2 million) / 93,065 :: We Knit Ship [237]
¥111.8 million ($1.2 million) / 80,903 :: Frankenweenie [489]
¥108.0 million ($1.1 million) / 96,165 :: Real [270]
¥100.8 million ($1.1 million) / 69,177 :: A Certain Magical Index [30]
¥100 million ↑

Studio Ghibli (Box-Office History)


Opening Weekends (2-Day)
¥1.483 billion ($14.0 million) / 1,104,980 :: Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Nov. 2004)
¥1.034 billion ($9.8 million) / 812,557 :: Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, July 2008)
¥1.005 billion ($8.9 million) / 810,000 :: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, July 2001)
¥960.9 billion ($9.8 million) / 747,451 :: The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, July 2013)
¥907.5 million ($7.9 million) / 672,696 :: Tales from Earthsea (Goro Miyazaki, July 2006)
¥895.6 million ($10.3 million) / 680,190 :: The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, July 2010)
¥394.1 million ($3.5 million) / 328,007 :: The Cat Returns (Hiroyuki Morita, July 2002)
¥387.5 million ($4.9 million) / 296,006 :: From Up on Poppy Hill (Goro Miyazaki, July 2011)

Totals
¥30.4 billion ($244 million) / 23.5 million :: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, July 2001) #1 All-Time
¥22.0 billion ($207 million) / 15.0 million :: Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Nov. 2004) #3 All-Time
¥19.3 billion ($165.5 million) / 14.2 million :: Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, July 1997) #5 Al-Time
¥15.5 billion ($164 million) / 12.87 million :: Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, July 2008) #9 All-Time
¥9.25 billion ($111.9 million) / 7.56 million :: The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, July 2010) #37 All-Time
¥7.65 billion ($62.9 million) / 6.1 million :: Tales from Earthsea (Goro Miyazaki, July 2006)
¥6.46 billion ($54.4 million) / 5.5 million :: The Cat Returns (Hiroyuki Morita, July 2002)
¥4.46 billion ($57.8 million) / 3.55 million :: From Up on Poppy Hill (Goro Miyazaki, July 2011)
¥4.45 billion ($32.5 million) / 3.5 million :: Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki, July 1992)
¥4.05 billion ($40.3 million) / 3.3 million :: Pom Poko (Isao Takahata, July 1994)
¥2.90 billion ($21.5 million) / 2.4 million :: Only Yesterday (Isao Takahata, July 1991)
¥2.85 billion ($29.3 million) / 2.3 million :: Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumi Kondo, July 1995)
¥2.17 billion ($18.2 million) / 2.64 million :: Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, July 1989)
¥590 million ($4.6 million) / 800,000 :: My Neighbor Totoro/Grave of the Fireflies [Double Feature] (Hayao Miyazaki, Iso Takahata, Apr. 1988)

Fastest to ¥10 billion
25 Days (Spirited Away)
31 Days (Ponyo)
33 Days (Howl's Moving Castle)
42 Days (Princess Mononoke)

2013 Top Grossing Films
Total Gross / Admissions :: Film :: Days in Release :: Distributor

¥10 billion ↨
¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) / 5.67 million :: One Piece Film Z :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥6.11 billion ($67.7 million) / 4.96 million :: Les Miserables :: Final Estimate :: Toho-Towa
¥5 billion ↨
¥4.21 billion ($46.2 million) / 3.09 million :: Ted :: Final Estimate :: Toho-Towa
¥4 billion ↨
¥3.96 billion ($43.2 million) / 3.64 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥3.61 billion ($36.9 million) / 3.01 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥3.44 billion ($35.2 million) / 2.64 million :: Monsters University :: 16 :: Disney
¥3.00 billion ($31.0 million) / 2.35 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.93 billion ($31.6 million) / 2.40 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: Final Estimate :: Disney
¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Final Estimate :: Sony
¥2.64 billion ($28.3 million) / 2.12 million :: Platinum Data :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.60 billion ($26.7 million) / 1.77 million :: Iron Man 3 :: Tracking Ends :: Disney
¥2.37 billion ($24.3 million) / 1.94 million :: Midsummer Formula :: 23 :: Toho
¥2.15 billion ($23.9 million) / 1.73 million :: Strawberry Night :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.03 billion ($22.3 million) / 1.49 million :: A Good Day to Die Hard :: Final Estimate :: Fox
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.84 billion ($21.3 million) / 1.28 million :: Life of Pi :: Final Estimate :: Fox
¥1.81 billion ($19.0 million) / 1.44 million :: Shield of Straw :: Final Estimate :: Warner Bros.
¥1.77 billion ($20.2 million) / 1.46 million :: Today, I Started Loving You :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.75 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.25 million :: Oz: The Great and Powerful :: Final Estimate :: Disney
¥1.71 billion ($18.0 million) / 1.38 million :: Library Wars :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.64 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.16 million :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey :: Tracking Ends :: Warner Bros.
¥1.55 billion ($16.9 million) / 1.42 million :: Tokyo Family :: Final Estimate :: Shochiku
¥1.53 billion ($15.7 million) / 1.25 million :: Fast and Furious 6 :: 16 :: Toho-Towa
¥1.40 billion ($14.9 million) / 1.13 million :: Oblivion :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥1.30 billion ($13.3 million) / 1.13 million :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class :: Final Estimates:: Toho
¥1.25 billion ($13.9 million) / 0.99 million :: Brain Man :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.21 billion ($13.5 million) / 1.02 million :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.18 billion ($12.9 million) / 1.02 million :: Aibou Series: X-Day :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥1.17 billion ($13.3 million) / 0.99 million :: Humanoid Monster, Bem :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.14 billion ($13.0 million) / 1.03 million :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard :: Final Total :: Toei
¥1.07 billion ($11.3 million) / 0.87 million :: Jack Reacher :: Tracking Ends :: Paramount
¥1.07 billion ($11.0 million) / 0.84 million :: The Great Gatsby :: 38 :: Warner Bros.
¥1.05 billion ($11.0 million) / 0.98 million :: Pretty Cure All Stars: New Stage 2 :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥1.02 billion ($10.8 million) / 0.83 million :: The Complex :: 65 :: Shochiku
¥1.01 billion ($10.4 million) / 0.96 million :: Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens :: 9 :: Toho
¥1 billion ↑

Final Estimates/Totals for many films have been added this week.

(Also Epic Fail by BOM for saying 'Monsters U three-peats" ) I appreciate that they post International numbers even with messed up numbers (not difficult to fix), but lord are they getting worse all the time. Not only are they missing the biggest opener of the year, but they also didn't include Short Peace's solid 11th place debut of ¥18.65 million ($190,000) on just 25 screens.

It makes me wonder even more what they missed before I started tracking the box-office extensively (early 2010).

It's sad that they are the only "source" left that posts films beyond the top 10 for an individual market. Everywhere else has closed up and gone home. Telling Ray about the mistakes does nothing either. He does not fix them.

Indeed.

Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises will be competing at the 70th Venice International Film Festival this year:

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL — IN COMPETITION

“Es-Stouh” (The Rooftops), Merzak Allouache (Algeria-France)
“L’intrepido” Gianni Amelio (Italy)
“Miss Violence,” Alexandros Avranas (Greece)
“Tracks,” John Curran (U.K.-Australia)
“Via Castellana Bandiera,” Emma Dante (Italy-Switzerland-France)
“Tom at the Farm,” Xavier Dolan (Canada-France)
“Child of God,” James Franco (U.S.)
“Philomena,” Stephen Frears (U.K.)
“La Jalousie,” Philippe Garrel (France)
“The Zero Theorem,” Terry Gilliam (U.K.-U.S.)
“Ana Arabia,” Amos Gitai (Israel-France)
“Under the Skin,” Jonathan Glazer (U.K.-U.S.)
“Joe,” David Gordon Green (U.S.)
“Die Frau des Polizisten” (The Police Officer’s Wife), Philip Groning (Germany)
“Kaze tachinu,” Hayao Miyazaki (Japan)
“The Unknown Known,” Errol Morris (U.S.)
“Night Moves,” Kelly Reichardt (U.S.)
“Sacro GRA,” Gianfranco Rosi (Italy)
“Jiaoyou” (Stray Dogs), Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan-France)
“Parkland,” Peter Landesman (U.S.)

Weekend Forecast [7/27-28]

1 (1) The Wind Rises (Toho) ¥725 million ($7.4 million) Week 2
2 (2) Monsters University (Disney) ¥430 million ($4.4 million) Week 4
3 (3) Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (Toho) ¥180 million ($1.9 million) Week 3
4 (-) Emperor (Shochiku) ¥155 million ($1.7 million) DEBUT!
5 (4) Midsummer Formula (Toho) ¥125 million ($1.4 million) Week 5
6 (5) Fast and Furious 6 (Toho-Towa) ¥105 million ($1.1 million) Week 4
7 (6) Gintama: The Final Chapter (Warner Bros.) ¥80 million ($820,000) Week 4
8 (-) Toriko the Movie: Bishokushin's Special Menu (Toei) ¥50 million ($510,000) DEBUT!
9 (7) Anpanman: Handkerchief of Hope! (Tokyo Theaters, Co.) ¥20 million ($205,000) Week 4
10 (8) Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (Presido) ¥15 million ($155,000) Week 3

Miyazaki recently caused a bit of a political uproar this past week among the ruling party:

Hayao Miyazaki: Leave Constitution alone

Anime master Hayao Miyazaki blasted the government’s push to revise the Constitution, saying that politicians without any understanding of history “shouldn't be messing” with the foundation of the country.

In a magazine published last week by his production company, Studio Ghibli, the award-winning director said he is “disgusted” by proposals to replace the Constitution, including war-renouncing Article 9.

“To take advantage of the low voter turnout and to change the Constitution without giving it serious thought is unacceptable,” Miyazaki wrote, apparently referring to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s win in Sunday’s Upper House poll. “I am clearly against it.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the LDP leader, has been pushing for amending the Constitution, ultimately hoping to defang the war-renouncing Article 9.

Miyazaki, considered one of the greatest anime filmmakers in the industry, was born in Tokyo in 1941, the year Japan launched a war against the U.S. with the attack on Pearl Harbor. His works include “Spirited Away,” which won the Golden Bear Prize at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and the 2003 Oscar for best animated feature.

In the article, Miyazaki touches on his childhood memories of surviving the war and witnessing its aftermath. Upon learning what the Imperial Japanese Army had done in China, he wrote that he felt “hatred against Japan” and was ashamed to be born in a country that would do such horrendous acts.

While noting that Japan wasn’t the only country to invade China, Miyazaki said this hardly justified what it did to its neighbors. The government should apologize and pay compensation for its wartime crimes, including against the “comfort women,” and also propose a peaceful way to resolve territorial disputes with its neighbors, he said.

“I am taken aback by the lack of knowledge among government and political party leaders on historical facts,” he said.

Miyazaki, who often touches on pacifism and environmentalism in his movies, said that although he respected the Self-Defense Forces, there should be no talk of enhancing their role.

In addition to Miyazaki’s piece, the publication by Studio Ghibli included similar articles written by those close to the director, including Ghibli film producer Toshio Suzuki. Because bookstores have run short of the work, four articles from it have been made available online for free until Aug. 20.

Many requests have come in for a chance to read the articles “probably due to the high interest in the topic,” the publisher said on its website.

Conservatives have been quick to react to Miyazaki’s remarks. Postings on bulletin board sites criticize him for commenting on political matters. Others disagreed with Miyazaki and supported strengthening Japan’s military “because unlike the old days, threat of an invasion by neighboring countries is becoming real.”

Miyazaki’s latest film, “Kaze Tachinu” (“The Wind Rises”), which depicts prewar Japan through the eyes of the designer of the Zero fighter, opened in theaters Saturday. It debuted at the top of the weekend box office.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/0 ... fMQk423TNk

Weekend Estimates [7/27-28]

1 (1) The Wind Rises (Toho) ¥694 million ($7.1 million), -28%, Week 2
2 (2) Monsters University (Disney) ¥446 million ($4.6 million), -22%, Week 4
3 (-) Emperor (Shochiku) ¥205 million ($2.2 million) DEBUT!
4 (3) Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (Toho) ¥164 million ($1.8 million), -25%, Week 3
5 (4) Midsummer Formula (Toho) ¥116 million ($1.3 million), -36%, Week 5
6 (5) Fast and Furious 6 (Toho-Towa) ¥86 million ($880,000), -42%, Week 4
7 (6) Gintama: The Final Chapter (Warner Bros.) ¥77 million ($790,000), -35%, Week 4
8 (-) Toriko the Movie: Bishokushin's Special Menu (Toei) ¥70 million ($720,000) DEBUT!
9 (7) Anpanman: Handkerchief of Hope! (Tokyo Theaters, Co.) ¥21 million ($220,000), -21%, Week 4
10 (8) Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (Presido) ¥14 million ($145,000), -42%, Week 3
11 (12) Ninja Kids 2! (Toei) ¥13 million ($135,000), -21%, Week 4
12 (9) To Cry 100 Times (Showgate) ¥11 million ($115,000), -50%, Week 6

Solid opening for Emperor. I don't know if having Tommy Lee Jones starring helped or not, but it's impressive nonetheless.

Note that last Saturday was a Movix Cinema discount day which can slightly throw off estimates. Movix is the 4th largest chain in the country though, so I don't think actuals will be too far off.

As for The Wind Rises,

Recent Studio Ghibli [2nd Weekend Drops]
-16% (Howl's Moving Castle)
-21% (Ponyo)
*-28% (The Wind Rises) *Estimate*
-32% (Up on Poppy Hill)
-32% (Arrietty)
-35% (Tales from Earthsea)

That's also a very nice hold for Monsters University. It'll probably surpass what it's making in the US on a weekend bases soon. It exceeded ¥4 billion ($41 million) on Thursday, so it should be around ¥4.6/4.7 billion ($47/48 million) now with plenty of Summer remaining as well as Obon Week coming up.

With $7.1m this weekend, what'll be the 9 day total like?

It's still too early to say without knowing it's 9-day total. Weekday grosses are much greater than weekend gross this time of year, and are way more important to a film's success. If it's over ¥2.5 billion after Sunday, then ¥10/11 billion ($100-115 million) still looks reasonable. If it's closer to ¥3 billion after Sunday, maybe ¥12 billion ($125 million).

Whatever it's at, everyone is just hoping it can reach ¥10 billion. It's been 3 years since a film has reached that milestone (5 years for a 2D release), and there's nothing on the horizon in 2014 that will do it.

So the 9 day total is about $24.4m?

It should be somewhere around $25 million, yeah. Was $24.4 million released by someone?

Upcoming Release Schedule (August-September)
[Major Studios and Notable Releases]

August 02
The Lone Ranger (Disney)

August 03
The After-Dinner Mysteries (Toho)
Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land (Toei)
Magic Mike (Broad Media Studios)

August 09
Pacific Rim (Warner Bros.)

August 10
World War Z (Toho-Towa)
A Boy Called H (Toho)
August Wars (Broad Media Studios)
Movie 43 (Asmik Ace)

August 16
White House Down (Sony)
The Smurfs 2 (Toho-Towa)

August 17
Playing for Keeps (Nikkatsu)
End of Watch (Presido)

August 23
Star Trek Into Darkness (Paramount)

August 24
Gatchaman: The Movie (Toho)
Hakuouki: Time Restarted - Chapter 1 (Clockworks)
Children's Theater 3 (Asmik Ace)

August 30
Man of Steel (Warner Bros.)
Sadako 3D Part 2 (Kadokawa Pictures)

August 31
End of Summer (Clockworks)
Time Scoop Hunter (Gaga)
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (Aniplex)

[National Holidays in August]
Obon Festival (08/10-18)
Event to commemorate one's ancestors.

*****************************************************

Sept. 06
Side Effects (Presido)

Sept. 07
Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Toei)
Ultraman Galaxy Special (Shochiku)
Upside Down (Kadokawa Pictures)

Sept. 13
The Wolverine (Fox)
Unforgiven (Warner Bros.)

Sept. 14
Ataru: The First Love - The Last Kill (Toho)
You Are the Apple of My Eye (Zazie Films)

Sept. 20
Elysium (Sony)

Sept. 21
Despicable Me 2 (Toho-Towa)
Warm Bodies (Asmik Ace)
Heinous (Nikkatsu)

Sept. 27
Chronicle (Fox)

Sept. 28
Like Father, Like Son (Gaga)
King of Apology (Toho)

[National Holidays in August]
Respect of the Elderly Day (09/16)
Respect for the elderly and longevity are celebrated on this national holiday.
Autumn Equinox Day (09/23)
Graves are visited during this day.

I don't have time this morning to post the full weekend rankings, but estimates were really off this week. In part due to last Saturday being a Movix Cinema discount day, but even with that being the case, estimates were still lousy.

The Wind Rises only dropped 16% in it's second weekend (vs the 28% according to estimates), earning ¥810,858,400 ($8.2 million) with 608,096 admissions. This is a better second weekend than Ponyo, and the film has already exceeded 2.2 million admissions and grossed more than ¥2.8 billion ($30 million) after 9 days.

I'll post more about it's second weekend and how the holdovers fared this evening.

Weekend Ranking [7/27-28]

1 (1) The Wind Rises (Toho) Week 2
2 (2) Monsters University (Disney) Week 4
3 (-) Emperor (Shochiku) DEBUT!
4 (3) Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (Toho) Week 3
5 (4) Midsummer Formula (Toho) Week 5
6 (5) Fast and Furious 6 (Toho-Towa) Week 4
7 (6) Gintama: The Final Chapter (Warner Bros.) Week 4
8 (-) Toriko the Movie: Bishokushin's Special Menu (Toei) DEBUT!
9 (7) Anpanman: Handkerchief of Hope! (Tokyo Theaters, Co.) Week 4
10 (10) Ninja Kids 2! (Toei) Week 4

The Wind Rises had only the 4th best opening for a Hayao Miyazaki film, but it's second weekend is the 2nd strongest ever for a Hayao Miyazaki film, only trailing Howl's Moving Castle's second weekend. It dropped just 16% to earn ¥810,858,400 ($8.2 million) with 608,096 admissions, bringing it's 9-day total to ¥2.85 billion ($29.2 million) with over 2.2 million admissions.

Unless The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim or World War Z breakout big time, The Wind Rises will likely remain on top until sometime in September or early October.

It's tracking about 9% ahead of Arrietty and 11% behind Ponyo after 9 days, and both of those films had a holiday opening weekend which The Wind Rises didn't benefit from. And with a better second weekend than Ponyo, it could begin to catch up to it in the coming weeks. A total over ¥10 billion is looking very, very likely.

Monsters University had another strong week, with a 23-day cume over ¥4.6 billion ($46.9 million) and 3.5 million admissions. It passed the totals of Ratatouille and Wall-E this past week, and will surpass The Incredibles pretty soon. From that point forward, it'll be targeting it's predecessor's huge ¥9.37 billion total. Currently, I'm thinking it'll make close to ¥8.0 billion ($80/81 million) for about 20-25% of it's overseas total.

Midsummer Formula continues to do very well, too, with over ¥2.6 billion ($26.7 million) and 2.1 million admissions after five weeks in release. It'll have no problem exceeding ¥3 billion and may reach as high as ¥3.5 billion ($36 million).

Emperor debuted in 3rd place taking in ¥183,166,700 ($1.88 million) with 157,964 admissions on 301 screens. A solid number, and with an avg. ticket price well below ¥1,200 opening weekend, it's definitely skewing 50+.

Toriko did what it could on 179 screens, debuting with a mediocre ¥55,361,400 ($565,000) with 48,720 admissions over the weekend.

Biggest Second Weekends (Since 2006)

¥1,170,215,604 (-21%) - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
¥1,113,089,886 (-08%) - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
¥1,048,907,143 (-14%) - Rookies (2009)
¥1,024,964,165 (-21%) - The Da Vinci Code (2006)
¥1,023,543,457 (-22%) - Alice in Wonderland (2010)
¥810,858,400 (-16%) - The Wind Rises (2013)
¥805,735,776 (-21%) - Ponyo (2008)
¥756,487,317 (-26%) - Boys Over Flowers (2008)
¥728,215,296 (-26%) - Toy Story 3 (2010)
¥708,265,382 (-25%) - Umizaru: Limit of Love (2007)
¥705,157,184 (-63%) - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
¥704,338,800 (-17%) - Monsters University (2013)
¥703,536,314 (-49%) - One Piece Film Z (2012)
¥692,442,777 (-67%) - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
¥691,070,808 (-28%) - Umizaru: The Last Message (2010)

The Wind Rises also achieved the second biggest 2nd weekend for an animated feature, behind Miyazaki's own Howl's Moving Castle. Miyazaki actually has the Top 4 Biggest Opening Weekends and Second Weekends for an animated feature in the country now.

Studio Ghibli Showdown

The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, 2013)
¥961 million ($9.8 million)
¥811 million ($8.2 million), -16%, ¥2.853 billion ($29.2 million)

From Up On Poppy Hill (Goro Miyazaki, 2011)
¥387 million ($4.8 million)
¥262 million ($3.2 million), -32%, ¥1.151 billion ($14.3 million)
¥239 million ($3.0 million), -09%, ¥1.737 billion ($21.5 million)
¥182 million ($2.4 million), -20%, ¥2.251 billion ($29.2 million)
¥231 million ($2.9 million), +27%, ¥2.848 billion ($37.0 million)
¥164 million ($2.1 million), -29%, ¥3.453 billion ($44.9 million)
¥112 million ($1.5 million), -32%, ¥3.778 billion ($48.9 million)
Final Total: ¥4.46 billion ($57.8 million), 3.55 million admissions.

Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 2010)
¥895 million ($10.3 million)
¥603 million ($6.9 million), -32%, ¥2.618 billion ($29.9 million)
¥549 million ($6.3 million), -08%, ¥3.978 billion ($46.1 million)
¥383 million ($4.4 million), -30%, ¥5.018 billion ($58.1 million)
¥478 million ($5.5 million), +25%, ¥6.466 billion ($74.8 million)
¥272 million ($3.1 million), -43%, ¥7.390 billion ($85.5 million)
¥238 million ($2.8 million), -12%, ¥8.033 billion ($93.9 million)
¥151 million ($1.8 million), -35%, ¥8.431 billion ($99.9 million)
¥105 million ($1.2 million), -31%, ¥8.649 billion ($102.7 million)
Final Total: ¥9.25 billion ($111.9 million), 7.6 million admissions.

Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008)
¥1.034 billion ($9.8 million)
¥806 million ($7.6 million), -21%, ¥3.228 billion ($30.5 million)
¥776 million ($7.3 million), -05%, ¥5.258 billion ($48.9 million)
¥755 million ($7.1 million), -03%, ¥7.212 billion ($67.1 million)
¥851 million ($7.9 million), +13%, ¥9.941 billion ($92.6 million)
¥577 million ($5.5 million), -32%, ¥11.47 billion ($106.6 million)
¥513 million ($4.8 million), -11%, ¥12.73 billion ($118.4 million)
¥378 million ($3.5 million), -27%, ¥13.44 billion ($125.1 million)
¥260 million ($2.4 million), -31%, ¥13.88 billion ($129.2 million)
¥155 million ($1.5 million), -40%, ¥14.31 billion ($133.3 million)
Final Total: ¥15.50 billion ($164 million), 12.87 million admissions.

Tales from Earthsea (Goro Miyazaki, 2006)
¥907 million ($7.9 million)
¥587 million ($5.2 million), -35%, ¥2.500 billion ($21.8 million)
¥515 million ($4.5 million), -12%, ¥3.773 billion ($32.9 million)
¥368 million ($3.2 million), -29%, ¥5.302 billion ($46.2 million)
¥285 million ($2.5 million), -23%, ¥6.014 billion ($51.8 million)
¥200 million ($1.7 million), -31%, ¥6.643 billion ($56.8 million)
¥152 million ($1.3 million), -23%, ¥6.864 billion ($58.8 million)
¥111 million ($1.0 million), -28%, ¥7.054 billion ($60.3 million)
Final Total: ¥7.65 billion ($64.9 million), 6.1 million admissions.

Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
¥1.483 billion ($14.0 million)
¥1.249 billion ($11.7 million), -16%, ¥4.754 billion ($44.5 million)
¥1.012 billion ($9.9 million), -16%, ¥6.785 billion ($65.9 million)
¥953 million ($9.2 million), -07%, ¥8.445 billion ($81.4 million)
¥789 million ($7.6 million), -17%, ¥9.756 billion ($94.2 million)
¥622 million ($6.0 million), -21%, ¥10.72 billion ($105.1 million)
¥704 million ($6.9 million), +13%, ¥12.88 billion ($126.2 million)
¥645 million ($6.1 million), -10%, ¥15.24 billion ($146.1 million)
¥343 million ($3.4 million), -45%, ¥15.76 billion ($154.9 million)
¥310 million ($3.0 million), -10%, ¥16.42 billion ($160.1 million)
¥252 million ($2.5 million), -19%, ¥16.85 billion ($164.4 million)
¥188 million ($1.8 million), -26%, ¥17.23 billion ($167.9 million)
¥189 million ($1.8 million), +0.02%, ¥17.70 billion ($172.3 million)
¥126 million ($1.2 million), -33%, ¥17.89 billion ($174.1 million)
¥113 million ($1.1 million), -11%, ¥18.11 billion ($176.2 million)
Final Total: ¥22.0 billion ($207 million), 15.0 million admissions.

*Only Weekends Over ¥100 million Included*

There are two different totals that you often see for Howl's Moving Castle. The first is ¥19.6 billion (about ~$188 million), but the film saw a large expansion in the Summer of 2005 (see the special features on the DVD) that earned an additional ¥2.4 billion (~$21 million).

2013 Top Grossing Films
Total Gross / Admissions :: Film :: Days in Release :: Distributor

¥10 billion ↨
¥6.85 billion ($76.9 million) / 5.67 million :: One Piece Film Z :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥6.11 billion ($67.7 million) / 4.96 million :: Les Miserables :: Final Estimate :: Toho-Towa
¥5 billion ↨
¥4.62 billion ($47.1 million) / 3.56 million :: Monsters University :: 23 :: Disney
¥4.21 billion ($46.2 million) / 3.09 million :: Ted :: Final Estimate :: Toho-Towa
¥4 billion ↨
¥3.96 billion ($43.2 million) / 3.64 million :: Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gagdet Museum :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥3.61 billion ($36.9 million) / 3.01 million :: Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥3.00 billion ($31.0 million) / 2.35 million :: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥3 billion ↨
¥2.93 billion ($31.6 million) / 2.40 million :: Wreck-It Ralph :: Final Estimate :: Disney
¥2.85 billion ($29.2 million) / 2.22 million :: The Wind Rises :: 9 :: Toho
¥2.82 billion ($32.4 million) / 2.21 million :: 007: Skyfall :: Final Estimate :: Sony
¥2.69 billion ($27.6 million) / 2.19 million :: Midsummer Formula :: 30 :: Toho
¥2.64 billion ($28.3 million) / 2.12 million :: Platinum Data :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.60 billion ($26.7 million) / 1.77 million :: Iron Man 3 :: Tracking Ends :: Disney
¥2.15 billion ($23.9 million) / 1.73 million :: Strawberry Night :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥2.03 billion ($22.3 million) / 1.49 million :: A Good Day to Die Hard :: Final Estimate :: Fox
¥2 billion ↨
¥1.84 billion ($21.3 million) / 1.28 million :: Life of Pi :: Final Estimate :: Fox
¥1.81 billion ($19.0 million) / 1.44 million :: Shield of Straw :: Final Estimate :: Warner Bros.
¥1.77 billion ($20.2 million) / 1.46 million :: Today, I Started Loving You :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.76 billion ($18.0 million) / 1.38 million :: Fast and Furious 6 :: 23 :: Toho-Towa
¥1.75 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.25 million :: Oz: The Great and Powerful :: Final Estimate :: Disney
¥1.71 billion ($18.0 million) / 1.38 million :: Library Wars :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.64 billion ($18.9 million) / 1.16 million :: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey :: Tracking Ends :: Warner Bros.
¥1.55 billion ($16.9 million) / 1.42 million :: Tokyo Family :: Final Estimate :: Shochiku
¥1.46 billion ($15.1 million) / 1.40 million :: Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens :: 16 :: Toho
¥1.40 billion ($14.9 million) / 1.13 million :: Oblivion :: Tracking Ends :: Toho-Towa
¥1.30 billion ($13.3 million) / 1.13 million :: Crayon Shin-chan: Gourmet Survival Class :: Final Estimates:: Toho
¥1.25 billion ($13.9 million) / 0.99 million :: Brain Man :: Final Estimate :: Toho
¥1.21 billion ($13.5 million) / 1.02 million :: Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rouge :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.18 billion ($12.9 million) / 1.02 million :: Aibou Series: X-Day :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥1.17 billion ($13.3 million) / 0.99 million :: Humanoid Monster, Bem :: Final Total :: Toho
¥1.14 billion ($13.0 million) / 1.03 million :: Kamen Rider X Kamen Rider Fourze & Wizard :: Final Total :: Toei
¥1.10 billion ($11.4 million) / 0.87 million :: The Great Gatsby :: 45 :: Warner Bros.
¥1.07 billion ($11.3 million) / 0.87 million :: Jack Reacher :: Tracking Ends :: Paramount
¥1.05 billion ($11.0 million) / 0.98 million :: Pretty Cure All Stars: New Stage 2 :: Final Estimate :: Toei
¥1.02 billion ($10.8 million) / 0.83 million :: The Complex :: Tracking Ends :: Shochiku
¥1 billion ↑

Monsters University continues to climb at a very steady pace and will surpass Les Miserables and One Piece Film Z in a couple weeks.

The Wind Rises lands the biggest 9-day total since Harry Potter 7.2 two years ago.

Films Exceeding 2 Million Admissions After 9 Days (Since 2004):

9-Day Admissions :: Film :: [9-Day Multiplier]
3,572,751 :: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) [4.20x]
3,360,000 :: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) [3.27x]
3,055,000 :: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) [2.75x]
3,020,000* :: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) [2.28x]
2,855,248 :: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) [2.71x]
2,830,000* :: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) [2.76x]
2,783,064 :: Rookies (2009) [2.50x]
2,686,659 :: Ponyo (2008) [4.79x]
2,685,000 :: The Da Vinci Code (2006) [2.98x]
2,635,000 :: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) [3.42x]
2,560,000 :: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004) [2.97x]
2,404,183 :: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) [2.87x]
2,352,316 :: One Piece Film Z (2012) [2.41x]
2,260,202 :: The Wind Rises (2013)
2,247,698 :: Alice in Wonderland (2010) [3.25x]
2,237,190 :: Hero (2007) [2.81x]
2,225,000 :: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) [2.92x]
2,182,080 :: Umizaru: Brave Hearts (2012) [2.61x]
2,144,840 :: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) [2.73x]
2,140,840 :: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) [2.56x]
2,113,264 :: Umizaru: The Last Message (2010) [2.56x]
2,110,792 :: Boys Over Flowers (2008) [2.98x]
2,062,166 :: Arrietty (2010) [3.69x]
2,055,356 :: Bayside Shakedown: Set the Guys Loose! (2010) [2.77x]
2,032,147 :: Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (2012) [1.89x]
*Previews included.

Admissions ending in "000" are estimated.