Most-Consecutive Weeks at #1 [1998-]

16 - Frozen [Mar. 15-16 to June 28-29] (2014)
16 - Spirited Away [July 21-22 to Nov. 03-04] (2001)
14 - Armageddon [Dec. 12-13 to Mar. 13-14] (1998-1999)
10 - Avatar [Dec. 26-27 to Feb. 27-28] (2009-2010)
9 - Your Name. [Aug. 26-27 to Oct. 22-23 Ongoing] (2016-Present)
9 - Howl's Moving Castle [Nov. 20-21 to Jan. 15-16] (2004-2005)
9 - Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge! [July 19-20 to Sept. 13-14] (2003)
9 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [Nov. 23-24 to Jan. 18-19] (2002-2003)
9 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone [Dec. 01-02 to Jan. 26-27] (2001-2002)
9 - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace [July 10-11 to Sept. 04-05] (1999)
8 - The Eternal Zero [Dec. 21-22 to Feb. 08-09] (2013-2014)
8 - The Wind Rises [July 20-21 to Sept. 07-08] (2013)
7 - Alice in Wonderland [Apr. 17-18 to May 29-30] (2010)
7 - Hero [Sept. 08-09 to Oct. 20-21] (2007)
7 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Feb. 14-15 to Mar. 27-28] (2004)
7 - Spider-Man [May 11-12 to June 22-23] (2002)
6 - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [May 21-22 to June 25-26] (2011)
6 - Umizaru: The Last Message [Sept. 18-19 to Oct. 23-24] (2010)
6 - 20th Century Boys: The Last Chapter [Aug. 29-30 to Oct. 03-04] (2009)
6 - Ponyo [July 19-20 to Aug. 23-24] (2008)
6 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [Mar. 03-04 to Apr. 08-09] (2006)
6 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [Nov. 26-27 to Jan. 07-08] (2005-2006)
6 - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith [July 09-10 to Aug. 13-14] (2005)
6 - Monsters, Inc. [Mar. 09-10 to Apr. 13-14] (2002)
6 - The Sixth Sense [Oct. 30-31 to Dec. 04-05] (1999)
6 - The Matrix [Sept. 11-12 to Oct. 16-17] (1999)
6+

Your Name. has effortlessly remained atop the box office for a remarkable ninth consecutive week now, but can it managed 10 or more? The newest Death Note film opens next weekend, and will prove to be Your Name's biggest challenger for the top spot so far.

I said weeks ago that as long as it's still making over ¥500 million at this point, then a tenth week at #1 would be likely - and if that happens, it'll likely stay at #1 throughout most of November, too. However, it fell below that figure last weekend (¥468 million), but thanks to an increase this weekend, it's very close to ¥500 million again based on estimates. It's probably going to be a very close battle next weekend.

The exchange rate for HP looks comparatively lopsided given how high it ranks in JPY (#4) vs. USD (#8).

Looks like Your Name. will leapfrog up to #6 in USD this week.

I made a mistake in Your Name.'s current USD total. I added the weekday earnings from two weeks ago ($7.1 million) to its total rather than the weekdays from last week ($5.0) million, to get $161.8 million - it's actually at $159.8 million. My bad.

@Jiffy:

It does. The exchange rate during its time in release was a lot more unfavorable than for most other uber-blockbusters on the list. Also, getting an accurate USD figure for an older film that played over several months, while still pulling in solid figures, can be difficult due to how often the exchange rate changes. Unless, of course, you track a film on a daily/weekly basis using the current exchange rate like I do every week.

BOM's total ($152.9 million) for it is very, very wrong, for example, where its total went off track sometime around week 11. Then they have almost the same total for it for a month before it fell out of the top 10 (its total actually dropped one week...). It's not their fault entirely - they just updated the running total using the most current exchange rate, which is a common mistake. The exchange rate was noticeably more favorable in December 2001-January 2002 (~4.1%) where it earned majority of its gross, than it was when it left the Top 10 (end of March).

What I did to get the $163.7 million figure was check its weekly updated totals in yen and convert that into usd using that week's exchange rate over the course if its run in the top 10. It might not be 100% accurate, but it's pretty darn close, definitely within $1 million or less I'd say with confidence.

Your Name. (Path to the All-Time Top 5; ¥20 billion+ [$200 million+])

Weekends:
08/27-28 (#1): ¥930.0 million ($9.2 million), 0, ¥1.278 billion ($12.6 million)
09/03-04 (#1): ¥1.160 billion ($11.2 million), +25%, ¥3.872 billion ($37.6 million)
09/10-11 (#1): ¥1.134 billion ($11.1 million), -02%, ¥6.286 billion ($61.2 million)
09/17-18 (#1): ¥1.076 billion ($10.5 million), -05%, ¥8.534 billion ($83.0 million)
09/24-25 (#1): ¥862.5 million ($8.5 million), -20%, ¥11.165 billion ($108.8 million)
10/01-02 (#1): ¥790.1 million ($7.9 million), -08%, ¥12.856 billion ($125.5 million)
10/08-09 (#1): ¥700.9 million ($6.8 million), -11%, ¥14.211 billion ($138.5 million)
10/15-16 (#1): ¥467.9 million ($4.5 million), -33%, ¥15.414 billion ($150.1 million)
10/22-23 (#1): ¥476.3 million ($4.6 million), +02%, ¥16.411 billion ($159.8 million)

Weekdays:
08/26 (#1): ¥348.0 million ($3.4 million), 0, ¥348 million ($3.4 million)
08/29-09/02 (#1): ¥1.434 billion ($13.9 million), +412%, ¥2.712 billion ($26.5 million)
09/05-09 (#1): ¥1.280 billion ($12.5 million), -11%, ¥5.152 billion ($50.1 million)
09/12-16 (#1): ¥1.172 billion ($11.5 million), -08%, ¥7.458 billion ($72.2 million)
09/19-23 (#1): ¥1.769 billion ($17.4 million), +51%, ¥10.302 billion ($100.3 million)
09/26-30 (#1): ¥901.0 million ($8.9 million), -49%, ¥12.066 billion ($117.7 million)
10/03-07 (#1): ¥654.0 million ($6.3 million), -27%, ¥13.510 billion ($131.8 million)
10/10-14 (#1): ¥735.1 million ($7.1 million), +12%, ¥14.946 billion ($145.6 million)
10/17-21 (#1): ¥520.9 million ($5.0 million), -29%, ¥15.935 billion ($155.2 million)

Ongoing Weekday Estimates (10/24-28):
10/24 (#1): ¥70 million ($675,000), -23%, ¥16.480 billion ($160.5 million)
10/25 (#1): ¥50 million ($485,000), -28%, ¥16.530 billion ($161.0 million)

Your Name. (Path to the All-Time Top 5; ¥20 billion+ [$200 million+])

Weekends:
08/27-28 (#1): ¥930.0 million ($9.2 million), 0, ¥1.278 billion ($12.6 million)
09/03-04 (#1): ¥1.160 billion ($11.2 million), +25%, ¥3.872 billion ($37.6 million)
09/10-11 (#1): ¥1.134 billion ($11.1 million), -02%, ¥6.286 billion ($61.2 million)
09/17-18 (#1): ¥1.076 billion ($10.5 million), -05%, ¥8.534 billion ($83.0 million)
09/24-25 (#1): ¥862.5 million ($8.5 million), -20%, ¥11.165 billion ($108.8 million)
10/01-02 (#1): ¥790.1 million ($7.9 million), -08%, ¥12.856 billion ($125.5 million)
10/08-09 (#1): ¥700.9 million ($6.8 million), -11%, ¥14.211 billion ($138.5 million)
10/15-16 (#1): ¥467.9 million ($4.5 million), -33%, ¥15.414 billion ($150.1 million)
10/22-23 (#1): ¥476.3 million ($4.6 million), +02%, ¥16.411 billion ($159.8 million)

Weekdays:
08/26 (#1): ¥348.0 million ($3.4 million), 0, ¥348 million ($3.4 million)
08/29-09/02 (#1): ¥1.434 billion ($13.9 million), +412%, ¥2.712 billion ($26.5 million)
09/05-09 (#1): ¥1.280 billion ($12.5 million), -11%, ¥5.152 billion ($50.1 million)
09/12-16 (#1): ¥1.172 billion ($11.5 million), -08%, ¥7.458 billion ($72.2 million)
09/19-23 (#1): ¥1.769 billion ($17.4 million), +51%, ¥10.302 billion ($100.3 million)
09/26-30 (#1): ¥901.0 million ($8.9 million), -49%, ¥12.066 billion ($117.7 million)
10/03-07 (#1): ¥654.0 million ($6.3 million), -27%, ¥13.510 billion ($131.8 million)
10/10-14 (#1): ¥735.1 million ($7.1 million), +12%, ¥14.946 billion ($145.6 million)
10/17-21 (#1): ¥520.9 million ($5.0 million), -29%, ¥15.935 billion ($155.2 million)

Ongoing Weekday Estimates (10/24-28):
10/24 (#1): ¥70 million ($675,000), -23%, ¥16.480 billion ($160.5 million)
10/25 (#1): ¥50 million ($485,000), -28%, ¥16.530 billion ($161.0 million)
10/26 (#1): ¥75 million ($725,000), -30%, ¥16.605 billion ($161.7 million)

So can Your Name. go any higher than #9? I think not, but you're the expert..

Easily. It'll be a mere ¥200 million or so shy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (¥17.30 billion; #8 all-time) and Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge! (¥17.35 billion; #7 all-time) after this weekend, and will surpass both of them possibly next Wednesday/Thursday.

So reaching #7 all-time is a lock. Going any higher from there will be challenging, since it'll need to earn more than ¥19.30 billion. I have it reaching at least ¥19 billion (~$185 million). Princess Mononoke (¥19.30 billion; #6 all-time); Howl's Moving Castle (¥19.60 billion; #5 all-time), and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (¥20.30 billion; #4 all-time) are just ¥1 billion apart, so if it reaches ¥19 billion, it wouldn't take too much more to surpass all three of them to reach the #4 all-time spot.

I highly doubt it'll manage to crack the Top 3, though. It'd have to accomplish some extraordinary feat that gives it additional exposure to maintain interest into next year, such as earning an Oscar nomination (it's receiving an Oscar qualifying release in the US), to boost it further.

Ok, so #7 all-time is guaranteed. Nice.

It's going at the same pace as Howl's moving castle,so It should be par with it more or less and how's the hype for new Death Note film?
And what're the highest grossing Japanese films in the overseas market?As far I know Miyazaki's Ponyo have grossed over 50 million USD as it was distributed by Disney.
Despite all the success, I doubt if it would get an oscar nomination, Kubo and the Two Strings is the most deserving this year along with Disney films which would get nominated anyway.

Hmm, I thought they were holding off on any sort of U.S. release until next year?

Doraemon stand by me grossed around 100 million dollars, outside Japan, if this is what you meant, with China being the biggest reason behind this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_by_Me_Doraemon

Your Name would have a chance of being the most grossing Japan film ever it is released in China, you'll never know, given the fact it out grossed stand by me in Japan many times. In my knowledge, Spirited Away grossed like 280 million in total internationally. At that time, Chinese movies wasn't even half as big as today's.

But, that, in a serious note, depends on two things: 1. Whether it will receive a China release 2. If it's quite Chinese taste enough, this i can't answer. Someone from China probably had an answer from his/her experience during Stand by Me's run there.

@kireilanford "Kimi no na wa" got no chance whatsoever to dethrone SPIRITED AWAY as the highest grossing Japanese film,Doraemon is a franchise which is widely popular all over the globe and Stand by Me Doraemon was one of the best from the series.
As I said it can equal Miyazaki's second best,anything more than that is highly unlikely.

Probably right. That's what I said in num. 2 note above.

Doraemon is a huge franchise globally, everyone knows that. Still, it's highly rare that a Japanese film of this caliber grossed more outside home, and this coming from one country only. (86 Million bucks!!)

If anything from Japan could repeat that feat in China, it gotta be something really, really fit with chinese people's taste.

The new Death Note film has a solid amount of buzz surrounding it, and unless its pre-sales represent a much higher than average percentage of its weekend admissions, it's going to dethrone Your Name. this weekend. It doesn't appear, however, to be generating as much support as the first three films did last decade. Pre-sales and morning/afternoon ticket sales today are good, but not great.

I'll have this weekend's forecast up soon.

As kireilanford mentioned, I believe Stand By Me, Doraemon is the highest-grossing Japanese film outside of Japan due to an incredible result from China. Doraemon, as you all have discussed, is a well-known property outside of Japan, and Stand By Me happened to be the first Japanese film to be released in China in several years. I don't remember exactly how long, but tensions between China and Japan has prevented Japanese films from playing in China.

There seems to be a market for Japanese films in China, at least anime/animated films (and probably dramas if the rest of Asia is any indication), so it all seems like a missed opportunity due to the territory dispute over the Senkaku Islands.



It's receiving a larger release in the U.S. next year, but Funimation is giving it a one week release in L.A. this November, beginning November 24th, to earn it an Oscar qualifying run.

English-subtitled trailer:

Why do the Japanese like it so much? And is it a comedy or a romance? Is that the drawing factor? Are Japanese people rolling in the aisles or crying rivers?

For me, that trailer was awful. Interesting how a whole race can love it.

It's a sci-fi, body-swap, romance film.

The trailer does seem a bit "cheerful" or "carefree", but I know it isn't, not beyond probably a few early humorous moments of the two teens changing bodies.

Makoto Shinkai's films have a strong sense of melancholy (which resonates with Japanese audiences), and Your Name. is supposedly no different. I've stayed away from reviews and such, but I'm guessing the two teens never actually meet, or one possibly doesn't exist any longer due to a time paradox or something. His films don't really have "happy" endings.

Interesting, ok. There seem to be a lot of relatable or just unique angles/shots too, such as the iPhone (cannot remember any time when a Pixar or DreamWorks film was as modern) and the sliding door. These are nice shots that I am sure appeal to animation fans that are bored of talking animals.