Yes, they do.

Pearl Harbor is in the Top 100 Highest-Grossing Films of All-Time in Japan. The market was also Letters from Iwo Jima's highest-grossing and it was Windtalkers' second-highest.

If you're wondering why Hacksaw Ridge hasn't been released in Japan yet, it's because Japan is usually the final market for Hollywood films (or at least, that's how it used to be). It is being released on 24th June 2017.

Yeah, WW2 films almost always perform well. There are WW2 themed films released nearly every year, too.

The Weekend Forecast will be posted in a couple hours. Sing opens this weekend, and based on yesterday's numbers and today's pre-sales/early morning ticket sales, it looks like it'll debut quite well - not Minions or Pets big, but respectable enough. Looks like it'll be a pretty close battle between it, Moana (second week), and Doraemon (third week) for the #1 spot this weekend.

Doraemon had some insane bumps this week.

Corpse any idea on this?

Hi Corpse, have you had time to get some estimates?

Corpse, what do you figure BATB's prospects here are?

I forget how much the 1991 version grossed back when.

Ah okay, went back and found it in the yearly data Corpse posted way back when.

Grossed ¥1,600,000,000 and ranked #9 for 1992... not sure what that would be in USD.

Or if that's the actual cumulative lifetime gross or just the gross within a specific time frame?

Apologies for no updates the past few days. I'm finding less and less time available to spend on here, but no worries though; I won't just one day abandon everyone without knowing. There might just be some very slow weeks every now and then.

Thankfully, since I don't have time tonight to update much, there's nothing to really report on regarding the weekend box office since Monday being a holiday has delayed any numbers. I'll provide a few details below though:

Sing ended up surprising a bit and took the #1 spot. Based on estimates, it probably earned around ¥550 million (~$4.9 million) over the weekend frame, and ¥700 million (~$6.2 million) since opening on Friday. It may be able to reach the ¥4 billion (~$35 million) milestone based on this estimate - Illumination is really becoming a thing in Japan... somehow.

Moana saw a second weekend decline of around 25%, which is quite good. The decline doesn't indicate it's going to have the legs to match its studio predecessors, but it's still early, so let's wait and see what happens over Spring Break and on.

Doraemon also dropped around 25%, but in its third weekend. Again, this is quite good, and Japan is probably the only market in the world that three major animated releases can coincide, and even strive, together at the top of the weekend box office.

How about we try something different since compiling a large number of estimates over the course of some decades (anything pre-1955 in particular is very time consuming) is taking me far too long. Let's work on this little by little at a time, that way I'll be more inclined to spend time on it since it'll be "less" time each week.

Why don't you PM me... 5 films a week you want estimates for, and I'll work them.

Your Name. finally fell out of the Top 10 this past weekend, after spending 29-consecutive weeks (a new record) in the Top 10. It's very unlikely to resurface back in the Top 10 (Spirited Away did so because it won the Oscar), but I'm sure it'll be hanging out just outside (#11-15) for a long time.

Beauty and the Beast (1992) earned a ¥1.6 billion distributor income (#9 film of 1992 as you mentioned). Before 2000, Eiren only tracked films by how much a distributor earned from them. However, total grosses have been revealed for a number of films for various reasons (e.g. records being broken) over the years, and the distributor income almost always fell between 55-60%, so grosses aren't difficult to estimate.

So, using that knowledge, it likely grossed between ¥2.7-2.8 billion, or ~$22 million using the avg. exchange rate in the Fall of 1992 when it was released. Remember, Walt Disney Animation wasn't much of a force at the box office until the 2000's (even as recent as this decade if you exclude Pixar).

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

The new Beauty and the Beast will definitely be a blockbuster. I believe it has ¥10 billion (~$90 million) potential, and could be the #1 film of 2017. It has one of the best release dates any film can have, one week before the Golden Week holiday period, which will propel it even higher. Also, releasing well after the news of its incredible opening weekend in the U.S., and hopefully running total there and worldwide, will only generate more buzz prior to its release, too.

It should be the first Disney live-action remake/re-imagining that could challenge Alice in Wonderland in the market in terms of admissions and JPY, but the exchange rate won't allow it to come near Alice in USD.

Ok, thanks.

(C)Universal Studios.

Weekend Actuals (03/18-19)
01 (---) ¥546,350,000 ($4.9 million), 0, ¥697,908,000 ($6.1 million), Sing (Toho-Towa) NEW
02 (01) ¥455,433,000 ($4.1 million), -23%, ¥1,655,500,100 ($14.8 million), Moana (Disney) WK2
03 (02) ¥381,033,500 ($3.4 million), -25%, ¥1,883,054,900 ($16.8 million), Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic (Toho) WK3
04 (03) ¥227,101,200 ($2.0 million), -24%, ¥2,970,021,300 ($26.5 million), La La Land (Gaga) WK4
05 (---) ¥190,000,000 ($1.7 million), 0, ¥190,000,000 ($1.7 million), Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game (Shochiku) NEW
06 (---) ¥158,030,200 ($1.4 million), 0, ¥158,030,200 ($1.4 million), Precure the Movie: Dream Stars! (Toei) NEW
07 (---) ¥132,152,000 ($1.2 million), 0, ¥132,152,000 ($1.2 million), March Comes In Like a Lion (Toho) NEW
08 (04) ¥124,127,500 ($1.1 million), -36%, ¥525,596,300 ($4.7 million), Let's Go, Jets! (Toho) WK2
09 (05) ¥121,674,080 ($1.1 million), -31%, ¥1,956,854,320 ($17.3 million), Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (Aniplex) WK5
10 (---) ¥108,900,000 ($977,000), 0, ¥108,900,000 ($977,000), Ancien and the Magic Tablet (Warner Bros.) NEW

Very crowded weekend, with studios taking advantage of the weekend before Spring Break begins. Also, a record 7 animated films ranked in the Top 10 this weekend!

>Sing... I had my doubts about its chances in Japan, and it proved me wrong. Illumination's latest release sold an impressive 421,921 admissions over the weekend frame on 588 screens. Over the weekend frame, it surpassed The Secret Life of Pet's opening weekend by 17%, and matched Minions's opening weekend almost exactly (0.01% higher!).

The film doesn't have quite as good of a release date as its studio predecessors had, so its legs likely won't be as good, but a total of ¥4 billion (~$35 million) certainly looks doable. Very impressive.

Illumination has officially become a household name in Japan now, in my opinion, which considering the lukewarm response, critically, to pretty much all of their films, is very surprising in a market that never gave DreamWorks Animation (their films don't even get released theatrically anymore) nor any other non-Disney animation studio much of a chance.

>Moana falls to second place, but still delivered a perfectly fine second weekend, even if the decline is noticeably worse than its studio predecessors. It's still really early to give an accurate projection of where this one may be headed, but ¥5 billion (~$45 million+) still looks good - we'll have to wait and see if it has potential to go higher.

>Doraemon" Great Adventure in the Antarctic fell slightly more in its third weekend than last year's film (25% vs. 18%), however, the decline is more than acceptable when facing two other major animated release - in fact, it's probably a more impressive stat. The 37th entry in the long-running franchise continues to outpace last year's film after three weeks in release, and is still on track for a ¥4 billion (~$35 million) total.

>La La Land continues to perform well, and has locked up a future ¥3.5 billion+ (~$30 million+) total after this weekend's result and might even have a chance of reaching ¥4 billion (~$35 million). And when it crosses the former mark, it'll surpass Chicago to become the third highest-grossing live-action musical in the market, behind Les Miseables and The Phantom of the Opera.

>Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game, a film adaptation based on the very popular anime/manga, rounded out the Top 5 in its debut, selling 124,397 admissions over the weekend frame on just 91 screens.

>Precure Dream Stars delivered a successful debut, coming in a nice 18% ahead of last March's release. Over the weekend frame, the latest animated idols sold 134,976 admissions across 214 screens. Regardless of the increase over last March's release, though, this debut still isn't enough for it to reach the ¥1 billion (~$10 million) milestone, a mark the franchise has missed for the past several years.

>March Comes In Like a Lion was really the only disappointment this weekend, only managing a 7th place debut. Its debut is well below expectations, and even with Spring Break this week, I don't think it'll be enough to secure a ¥1 billion (~$10 million) total.

>Your Name. finally fell out of the Top 10 after setting a new record for most-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 (29). However, it only dropped 20% in its 30th weekend and should receive the upcoming Spring Break boost needed to reach the ¥25 billion (~$235 million) milestone. After 30 weeks in release, Makoto Shinkai's phenomenon has sold 19,057,822 admissions.

Nice to see that animated films can co-exist quite well together. I think Sing also being a musical might have been responsible for Moana's greater drop compared to recent WDAS films.

Is there a place where we can track Your Name's running total? I'd be interested in following its path to 25B yen. Now that it's out of Top 10, is there any risk of losing screens to new releases?

I'll post Your Name.'s running total each week until it's not available anymore, but I expect that'll be several weeks from now. It's at ¥24,724,356,100 ($233.9 million) now after 30 weeks, selling 19,057,822 admissions. It grossed ¥29,797,400 ($267,000) in its 30th weekend.

Considering its status, I don't think it'll begin to lose theaters despite falling out of the Top 10 until probably mid-April when the pre-Golden Week releases begin to roll out.

I'll be posting Daily Estimates for the Top 10 this week since it's Spring Break, and I'll also include Your Name. in those estimates, too.

Spring Break / Sakura Season 2017

Daily Estimates (03/20-31):

Monday (03/20) - Vernal Equinox Day
¥380 million ($3.4 million), 0, ¥1,050,000,000 ($9.4 million), Sing (Toho-Towa) Day 4
¥320 million ($2.9 million), +292%, ¥1,975,000,000 ($17.7 million), Moana (Disney) Day 11
¥290 million ($2.6 million), +1,511%, ¥2,175,000,000 ($19.4 million), Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic (Toho) Day 17
¥120 million ($1.1 million), +84%, ¥3,090,000,000 ($27.6 million), La La Land (Gaga) Day 25
¥85 million ($760,000), +99%, ¥610,000,000 ($5.5 million), Let's Go, Jets! (Toho) Day 10
¥70 million ($625,000), 0, ¥205,000,000 ($1.8 million), March Comes In Like a Lion (Toho) Day 3
¥70 million ($625,000), 0, ¥260,000,000 ($2.3 million), Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game (Shochiku) Day 3
¥65 million ($580,000), 0, ¥225,000,000 ($2.0 million), Precure the Movie: Dream Stars! (Toei) Day 3
¥60 million ($535,000), 0, ¥165,000,000 ($1.5 million), Ancien and the Magic Tablet (Warner Bros.) Day 3
¥35 million ($315,000), +37%, ¥1,990,000,000 ($17.6 million), Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (Aniplex) Day 31
.....
¥15 million ($135,000), +112%, ¥24,740,000,000 ($234.1 million), Your Name. (Toho) Day 206

Tuesday (03/21)
¥105 million ($940,000), 0, ¥1,155,000,000 ($10.3 million), Sing (Toho-Towa) Day 5
¥75 million ($670,000), -08%, ¥2,050,000,000 ($18.5 million), Moana (Disney) Day 12
¥45 million ($400,000), -44%, ¥3,135,000,000 ($28.0 million), La La Land (Gaga) Day 26
¥40 million ($360,000), +111%, ¥2,215,000,000 ($19.8 million), Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic (Toho) Day 18
¥35 million ($315,000), -13%, ¥645,000,000 ($5.8 million), Let's Go, Jets! (Toho) Day 11
¥25 million ($220,000), 0, ¥230,000,000 ($2.1 million), March Comes In Like a Lion (Toho) Day 4
¥25 million ($220,000), 0, ¥285,000,000 ($2.6 million), Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game (Shochiku) Day 4
¥20 million ($180,000), 0, ¥245,000,000 ($2.2 million), Precure the Movie: Dream Stars! (Toei) Day 4
¥20 million ($180,000), 0, ¥185,000,000 ($1.7 million), Ancien and the Magic Tablet (Warner Bros.) Day 4
¥15 million ($135,000), -35%, ¥2,005,000,000 ($17.8 million), Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (Aniplex) Day 32
.....
¥5 million ($45,000), -32%, ¥24,745,000,000 ($234.2 million), Your Name. (Toho) Day 207

% changes versus same day last week.

Spring Break / Sakura Season 2017

Daily Estimates (03/20-31):

Monday (03/20) - Vernal Equinox Day


Tuesday (03/21)


Wednesday (03/22)
¥145 million ($1.3 million), 0, ¥1,300,000,000 ($11.6 million), Sing (Toho-Towa) Day 6
¥115 million ($1.0 million), +03%, ¥2,165,000,000 ($19.5 million), Moana (Disney) Day 13
¥65 million ($580,000), +121%, ¥2,280,000,000 ($20.4 million), Doraemon: Great Adventure in the Antarctic (Toho) Day 19
¥60 million ($540,000), -32%, ¥3,195,000,000 ($28.5 million), La La Land (Gaga) Day 27
¥35 million ($315,000), -14%, ¥680,000,000 ($6.1 million), Let's Go, Jets! (Toho) Day 11
¥30 million ($270,000), 0, ¥260,000,000 ($2.4 million), March Comes In Like a Lion (Toho) Day 5
¥30 million ($270,000), 0, ¥315,000,000 ($2.9 million), Kuroko's Basketball The Movie: Last Game (Shochiku) Day 5
¥25 million ($225,000), 0, ¥210,000,000 ($1.9 million), Ancien and the Magic Tablet (Warner Bros.) Day 5
¥20 million ($180,000), 0, ¥265,000,000 ($2.4 million), Precure the Movie: Dream Stars! (Toei) Day 5
¥15 million ($135,000), -30%, ¥2,020,000,000 ($17.9 million), Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale (Aniplex) Day 33
.....
¥7 million ($65,000), -26%, ¥24,755,000,000 ($234.3 million), Your Name. (Toho) Day 208


% changes versus same day last week.

Did the Japanese Film Awards happen yet?

Yeah, I'll post the results tomorrow in full.

Cool.

Hi corpse, any early prediction for Kong: Skull Island? I see there's another kamen Rider film releasing this weekend as well.

40th Japan Academy Prize Results:

Picture of the Year
Shin Godzilla

Animation of the Year
In This Corner of the World

Outstanding Foreign Language Film
Sully

Director of the Year
Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi – Shin Godzilla

Screenplay of the Year
Makoto Shinkai - Your Name.

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Kōichi Satō – 64: Part I

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Rie Miyazawa – Her Love Boils Bathwater

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Satoshi Tsumabuki – Rage

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Hana Sugisaki – Her Love Boils Bathwater

Outstanding Achievement in Music
Radwimps - Your Name.

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Kousuke Yamada – Shin Godzilla

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction
Takayuki Kawabe – Shin Godzilla

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Yuji Hayashida and Eri Sakushima – Shin Godzilla

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording
Jun Nakamura and Haru Yamada – Shin Godzilla

Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing
Hideaki Anno and Atsuki Sato – Shin Godzilla

Newcomers of the Year
Hana Sugisaki – Her Love Boils Bathwater
Mitsuki Takahata – Evergreen Love
Kanna Hashimoto – Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation
Takanori Iwata – Evergreen Love
Kentarō Sakaguchi – 64: Part I & 64: Part II
Takara Sakumoto – Rage
Yudai Chiba – The Magnificent Nine
Mackenyu Maeda – Chihayafuru: Kami no Ku and Chihayafuru: Shimo no Ku

Tally (excludes Newcomer Awards):
7 - Shin Godzilla
2 - Your Name.
2 - Her Love Boils Bathwater
1 - In This Corner of the World
1 - Rage
1 - 64: Part I
1 - Sully