Hi Corpse, the title of your last post should be "top grossing films" instead of "top opening weekends".

Of the Marvel/DC films released in 2017 Lego Batman Movie, Logan, Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man Homecoming, Thor Ragnorak, And Justice League which has gross 1 billion yen and for those that did not reach it what were their gross in Japan?

The LEGO Batman Movie and Logan were the only two that missed the ¥1 billion milestone. I'll post what they grossed, as well as all the other Marvel/DC films, possibly before the weekend.

Eiren (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.) will announce the 2017 Yearly Data, along with the final totals for any film that grossed ¥1 billion or more, in the next few days.

Thanks Corpse and you are sure to me a great source of the Japanese Box Office.

Ha, awesome that Geostorm topped the charts in Japan. But it is trash. It should drop quickly. Or are the Japs liking it, Corpse?

No problem -- glad to help!



Its reception seems good enough, averaging user ratings of 3.5/5 on some of the more popular movie sites. It also had solid weekdays this past week, so I don't think it'll collapse, though legs for most January releases are below average, so we'll see.

(C)2018映画「祈りの幕が下りる時」製作委員会

Weekend Forecast (01/27-28)
01 (---) ¥300,000,000 ($2.7 million), 0, ¥300,000,000 ($2.7 million), The Crimes That Bind (Toho) NEW
02 (01) ¥146,000,000 ($1.3 million), -40%, ¥625,000,000 ($5.5 million), Geostorm (Warner Bros.) WK2
03 (03) ¥93,000,000 ($850,000), -34%, ¥7,050,000,000 ($62.2 million), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Disney) WK7
04 (02) ¥92,000,000 ($840,000), -42%, ¥400,000,000 ($3.6 million), The Lies She Loved (Toho) WK2
05 (05) ¥80,000,000 ($730,000), -31%, ¥300,000,000 ($2.7 million), Paddington 2 (Kino Films) WK2
06 (04) ¥76,000,000 ($690,000), -36%, ¥1,450,000,000 ($12.8 million), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Fox) WK4
07 (---) ¥65,000,000 ($590,000), 0, ¥65,000,000 ($590,000), The Dark Tower (Sony) NEW
08 (06) ¥61,000,000 ($555,000), -30%, ¥2,550,000,000 ($22.7 million), The 8-Year Engagement (Shochiku) WK7
09 (07) ¥53,000,000 ($480,000), -33%, ¥2,975,000,000 ($26.5 million), Destiny: The Tale of Kakamura (Toho) WK8
10 (---) ¥45,000,000 ($410,000), 0, ¥50,000,000 ($455,000), Cinema Fighters (LDH Pictures) NEW
11 (---) ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), 0, ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Karma Chapter (Shochiku Media Division) NEW
12 (---) ¥35,000,000 ($320,000), 0, ¥45,000,000 ($410,000), Detroit (Long Ride) NEW

The Yearly Data for 2017 is now available, and I'll be posting them here in the next couple hours.

A few quite notes about the year:

2017 was down versus 2016, but 2016 was always going to be hard to follow since it was the biggest year ever in terms of revenue and the most-attended year since 1974. 2017 does, however, snap the very impressive five-year streak (2012-2016) of both revenue and admission increases.

Not all was bad for 2017, though, and in fact, quite the opposite: 2017 still ended up as the 2nd biggest year ever in terms of revenue and the 2nd most-attended year since 1999. 62 films ended up reaching the ¥1 billion (~$9/10 million) milestone, as well, to tie the record with 2016 and 2005. And finally, 2017 achieved one particularly impressive feat, one that dates back almost 50 years.

Much more later.

2017 Yearly Results:

Yearly Revenue: ¥228.572 billion ($2.06 billion), -3.0% , 2nd Biggest Year Ever (behind 2016)
Yearly Admissions: 174,483,000, -3.2%, 2nd Most-Attended Year Since 2000 (behind 2016)

Japanese Film Share - 54.9%: ¥125.483 billion ($1.13 billion), -15.5%, 2nd Biggest Year Ever (behind 2016)
Imported Film Share - 45.1%: ¥103.089 billion ($930 million), +18.6%, Biggest Year Since 2007

# Of Japanese Films Released: 594, -2.6%, 3rd Most Japanese Films Ever Released (behind 2014 and 2016)
# Of Imported Films Released: 593, +10.0%, Most Imported Films Ever Released (beating 2014)
# Of Overall Films Released: 1,187, +0.3%, Most Films Ever Released (beating 2014)
# Of Films Reaching ¥1 Billion ($10 million): 62, no change, Ties Record (with 2005 and 2016)

Number of Theater Screens: 3,525, +0.2%, Most Screens Since 1969!
Average Ticket Price: ¥1,310 ($11.80), +0.01%, New Record! (beating 2016)

*2017 marks the tenth-consecutive year that Japanese Films earned more than Imported Films.

Pokemon Box-Office History


Opening Weekends:
¥780.9 million ($6.5 million) / 742,978 :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
¥703.8 million ($6.7 million) / 670,285 :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Giratina and the Sky Warrior - Shaymin (2008)
¥672.5 million ($7.1 million) / 641,700 :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Arceus - To a Conquering Spacetime (2009)
¥629.7 million ($7.7 million) / 600,602 :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Master of Illusions - Zoroark (2010)
¥540.1 million ($6.7 million) / 515,905 :: Pokemon Best Wishes: Victini and the Black Hero - Zekrom/Victini and the White Hero - Reshiram (2011)
¥516.2 million ($4.6 million) / 436,078 :: Pokemon: I Choose You! (2017)
¥515.2 million ($4.7 million) / 491,192 :: Pokemon Advanced: Mew and the Wave Hero - Lucario (2005)
¥509.1 million ($6.4 million) / 489,862 :: Pokemon Best Wishes: Kyurem Vs. The Sacred Swordsman - Keldeo (2012)
¥500.2 million ($4.6 million) / 475,462 :: Pokemon Advanced: Deoxys - Sky-Splitting Visitor (2004)
¥486.3 million ($5.0 million) / 464,839 :: Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (2013)
¥450.2 million ($3.8 million) / 427,104 :: Pokemon Advanced: Jirachi - Wishing Star of Seven Nights (2003)
¥416.4 million ($3.6 million) / 396,472 :: Pokemon Advanced: Pokemon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea (2006)
¥393.2 million ($3.9 million) / 360,190 :: Pokemon XY: The Cocoon of Destruction & Diancie (2014)
¥384.1 million ($3.1 million) / 351,592 :: Pokemon XY: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
¥380.5 million ($3.1 million) / 354,328 :: Pokemon: Celebi - A Timeless Encounter (2001)
¥323.9 million ($3.0 million) / 289,971 :: Pokemon XY&Z: Volcanion and the Mechanical Magearna (2016)
¥292.6 million ($2.4 million) / 273,209 :: Pokemon: Guardians of Altomare - Latias and Latios (2002)

Totals:
¥7.54 billion ($67.8 million) / 6.54 million :: Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)
¥6.36 billion ($64.8 million) / 5.60 million :: Pokemon: Revelation Lugia (1999)
¥5.02 billion ($47.2 million) / 4.78 million :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
¥4.85 billion ($45.7 million) / 4.50 million :: Pokemon: Lord of the Unown Tower - Entei (2000)
¥4.80 billion ($53.3 million) / 4.66 million :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Giratina and the Sky Warrior - Shaymin (2008)
¥4.67 billion ($51.6 million) / 4.40 million :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Arceus - To a Conquering Spacetime (2009)
¥4.50 billion ($38.4 million) / 4.28 million :: Pokemon Advanced: Jirachi - Wishing Star of Seven Nights (2003)
¥4.38 billion ($39.1 million) / 4.16 million :: Pokemon Advanced: Deoxys - Sky-Splitting Visitor (2004)
¥4.33 billion ($56.1 million) / 4.13 million :: Pokemon Best Wishes: Victini and the Black Hero - Zekrom/Victini and the White Hero - Reshiram (2011)
¥4.30 billion ($38.9 million) / 4.10 million :: Pokemon Advanced: Mew and the Wave Hero - Lucario (2005)
¥4.16 billion ($50.3 million) / 3.97 million :: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Master of Illusions - Zoroark (2010)
¥3.90 billion ($32.5 million) / 3.63 million :: Pokemon: Celebi - A Timeless Encounter (2001)
¥3.61 billion ($46.0 million) / 3.44 million :: Pokemon Best Wishes: Kyurem Vs. The Sacred Swordsman - Keldeo (2012)
¥3.55 billion ($32.3 million) / 3.03 million :: Pokemon: I Choose You! (2017)
¥3.40 billion ($28.2 million) / 3.23 million :: Pokemon Advanced: Pokemon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea (2006)
¥3.17 billion ($33.0 million) / 3.01 million :: Pokemon Best Wishes: ExtremeSpeed Genesect - Mewtwo Awakens (2013)
¥2.91 billion ($28.2 million) / 2.70 million :: Pokemon XY: The Cocoon of Destruction & Diancie (2014)
¥2.67 billion ($21.8 million) / 2.55 million :: Pokemon: Guardians of Altomare - Latias and Latios (2002)
¥2.61 billion ($21.3 million) / 2.40 million :: Pokemon XY: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
¥2.15 billion ($20.8 million) / 1.95 million :: Pokemon XY&Z: Volcanion and the Mechanical Magearna (2016)

Upcoming:
07/13/18 - Pokemon 2018 (Title: TBA)

Pixar Box-Office History


Opening Weekends:
¥977.3 million ($11.1 million) / 649,249 - Toy Story 3 (2010)
¥898.0 million ($8.4 million) / 724,000 - Finding Nemo (2003)
¥847.4 million ($8.5 million) / 614,969 - Monsters University (2013)
¥751.9 million ($7.3 million) / 604,355 - The Incredibles (2004)
¥745.5 million ($7.1 million) / 553,066 - Finding Dory (2016)
¥627.7 million ($7.2 million) / 440,804 - Up (2009)
¥590.7 million ($4.5 million) / 465,624 - Monsters, Inc. (2002)
¥504.9 million ($4.2 million) / 379,941 - Ratatouille (2007)
¥458.2 million ($4.9 million) / 336,597 - Cars 2 (2011)
¥449.6 million ($4.8 million) / 373,754 - Wall-E (2008)
¥406.0 million ($3.3 million) / 316,315 - Inside Out (2015)
¥381.2 million ($3.5 million) / 350,000 - Cars (2006)
¥320.1 million ($2.8 million) / 251,989 - Cars 3 (2017)
¥237.1 million ($2.1 million) / 191,696 - The Good Dinosaur (2016)
¥147.8 million ($1.9 million) / 106,271 - Brave (2012)

Totals:
¥11.00 billion ($102.4 million) / 8.60 million - Finding Nemo (2003)
¥10.80 billion ($130.7 million) / 7.20 million - Toy Story 3 (2010)
¥9.37 billion ($76.8 million) / 7.60 million - Monsters, Inc. (2002)
¥8.96 billion ($91.3 million) / 7.05 million - Monsters University (2013)
¥6.83 billion ($65.8 million) / 5.57 million - Finding Dory (2016)
¥5.26 billion ($51.1 million) / 4.40 million - The Incredibles (2004)
¥5.00 billion ($60.5 million) / 3.80 million - Up (2009)
¥4.04 billion ($33.6 million) / 3.40 million - Inside Out (2015)
¥4.00 billion ($44.2 million) / 3.20 million - Wall-E (2008)
¥3.90 billion ($36.3 million) / 3.10 million - Ratatouille (2007)
¥3.45 billion ($29.9 million) / 2.80 million - Toy Story 2 (2000)
¥3.01 billion ($39.0 million) / 2.32 million - Cars 2 (2011)
¥2.23 billion ($19.0 million) / 1.80 million - Cars (2006)
¥1.80 billion ($16.1 million) / 1.44 million - Cars 3 (2017)
¥1.69 billion ($15.0 million) / 1.35 million - The Good Dinosaur (2016)
¥1.15 billion ($8.3 million) / 900,000 - A Bug's Life (1999)
¥930 million ($11.9 million) / 680,000 - Brave (2012)

Upcoming:
03/16/18 - Coco
08/01/18 - Incredibles 2

Where on this list do you think COCO could make an appearance?

Is there a reason Incredibles 2 is opening in August rather than mid-July like most Pixar releases?

Above Cars 2, below Finding Dory.

~¥4 billion is the standard gross for well-received Pixar originals, so a gross around that figure is likely.



I don't think there's any particular reason, really, beyond it being an excellent spot for two reasons:

1.) The August 1st date is an excellent one, and right now, it has the beginning of August largely to itself since not much has been scheduled for Obon Festival (mid-August) yet.

2.) Mid/Late-July is already getting very crowded anyway: Pokemon 21, Jurassic World 2, Mirai of the Future, Bleach, Code Blue: The Movie, and Rainbow Days all are already scheduled for the last three weekends of July. And the Summer Release Schedule isn't complete yet, either, with some other notable films still awaiting release dates such as Gintama 2 and Mission: Impossible 6.

There's still over 20 films announced for Summer on the schedule that haven't received dates yet.

(C)2018映画「祈りの幕が下りる時」製作委員会

Weekend Estimates (01/27-28)
01 (---) ¥250,000,000 ($2.3 million), 0, ¥250,000,000 ($2.3 million), The Crimes That Bind (Toho) NEW
02 (01) ¥159,000,000 ($1.4 million), -34%, ¥635,000,000 ($5.6 million), Geostorm (Warner Bros.) WK2
03 (03) ¥104,000,000 ($950,000), -26%, ¥7,060,000,000 ($62.3 million), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Disney) WK7
04 (02) ¥96,000,000 ($875,000), -39%, ¥410,000,000 ($3.7 million), The Lies She Loved (Toho) WK2
05 (05) ¥90,000,000 ($820,000), -23%, ¥310,000,000 ($2.8 million), Paddington 2 (Kino Films) WK2
06 (04) ¥73,000,000 ($665,000), -39%, ¥1,450,000,000 ($12.8 million), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Fox) WK4
07 (06) ¥57,000,000 ($520,000), -34%, ¥2,550,000,000 ($22.7 million), The 8-Year Engagement (Shochiku) WK7
08 (07) ¥50,000,000 ($455,000), -36%, ¥2,970,000,000 ($26.5 million), Destiny: The Tale of Kakamura (Toho) WK8
09 (---) ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), 0, ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), The Dark Tower (Sony) NEW
10 (---) ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), 0, ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Karma Chapter (Shochiku Media Division) NEW
11 (09) ¥26,000,000 ($235,000), -41%, ¥1,960,000,000 ($17.4 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Resurrection of the Demon King (Toho) WK7
12 (---) ¥25,000,000 ($225,000), 0, ¥35,000,000 ($320,000), Detroit (Long Ride) NEW

>The Crimes That Bind, based on the murder case novels by author Keigo Higashino, and the latest starring popular actor Hiroshi Abe, debuts atop the box office to satisfactory results. The estimated opening is on par with the last film featuring the two, 2012's The Wings of the Kirin.

>Geostorm held pretty well in its second weekend, and has guaranteed that it'll exceed the ¥1 billion ($10 million) milestone now. It'll be the first disaster film to reach the mark since 2009's 2012, remarkably.

>Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally manages a good hold, but it's also fallen too far to take real advantage of it. ¥7.5 billion is still probably out of reach, but if it can hold onto enough screens come late-March, it might be able to crawl to the mark. I have it finishing with ¥7.3/7.4 billion ($65 million), and while respectable, it's certainly disappointing after its debut, and in regard to the totals of its predecessors.

>Paddington 2 held well in its sophomore weekend, though not as well as the original. The first film experienced excellent holds early on, but its later holds were average/poor, so maybe the sequel can catch up then.

>The Dark Tower is a bust for Sony; even with the respectable theater/screen count given to the film, it was only just able to make the Top 10.

(C)2018映画「祈りの幕が下りる時」製作委員会

Weekend Actuals (01/27-28)
01 (---) ¥264,991,300 ($2.4 million), 0, ¥264,991,300 ($2.4 million), The Crimes That Bind (Toho) NEW
02 (01) ¥169,304,100 ($1.5 million), -30%, ¥663,725,000 ($6.0 million), Geostorm (Warner Bros.) WK2
03 (03) ¥105,852,600 ($971,000), -25%, ¥7,052,226,400 ($62.3 million), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Disney) WK7
04 (02) ¥104,758,400 ($963,000), -34%, ¥428,848,900 ($3.9 million), The Lies She Loved (Toho) WK2
05 (05) ¥90,929,000 ($836,000), -22%, ¥295,972,900 ($2.7 million), Paddington 2 (Kino Films) WK2
06 (04) ¥74,823,700 ($688,000), -38%, ¥1,442,692,800 ($12.9 million), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Fox) WK4
07 (06) ¥59,235,000 ($544,000), -32%, ¥2,544,550,400 ($22.7 million), The 8-Year Engagement (Shochiku) WK7
08 (07) ¥52,360,700 ($481,000), -33%, ¥2,978,198,200 ($26.6 million), Destiny: The Tale of Kakamura (Toho) WK8
09 (---) ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), 0, ¥40,000,000 ($365,000), Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Karma Chapter (Shochiku Media Division) NEW
10 (---) ¥39,188,100 ($360,000), 0, ¥39,188,100 ($360,000), The Dark Tower (Sony) NEW
11 (09) ¥28,837,700 ($265,000), -35%, ¥1,954,345,300 ($17.4 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Resurrection of the Demon King (Toho) WK7
12 (---) ¥26,014,000 ($239,000), 0, ¥36,466,750 ($335,000), Detroit (Long Ride) NEW

>The Crimes That Bind, based on the murder case novels by author Keigo Higashino, and the latest starring popular actor Hiroshi Abe, debuts atop the box office with 205,823 admissions sold over the weekend across 335 screens. This is a solid debut, one that's just 4% below the last film based on a Higashino novel and starring Hiroshi Abe, 2012's The Wings of the Kirin. Expect a total above ¥1.5 billion (~$15 million).

>Geostorm held well in its second weekend, and has guaranteed that it'll exceed the ¥1 billion ($10 million) milestone now. It'll be the first disaster film to reach the mark since 2009's 2012, remarkably.

>Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally managed a good hold, but it's also fallen too far to take real advantage of it. ¥7.5 billion is still probably out of reach, but if it can hold onto enough screens come late-March, it might be able to crawl to the mark. I have it finishing with ¥7.3/7.4 billion ($65 million), and while respectable, it's certainly disappointing after its debut, and in regard to the totals of its predecessors. After seven weeks in release, Episode VIII in the franchise has exceeded 4.7 million admissions, and begins its slow crawl to the 5 million milestone.

>Paddington 2 held well in its sophomore weekend, though not as well as the original. The first film experienced excellent holds early on, but its later holds were average/poor, so maybe the sequel can catch up then.

>The 8-Year Engagement and Destiny: The Tale of Kakamura continue their impressive runs, with the former having exceeded the ¥2.5 billion mark (and 2 million admissions) in its seventh weekend of release; while the latter will exceed the ¥3 billion milestone in just a few more days.

>Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Karma Chapter debuts in ninth place despite only playing on 29 screens, but its weekend gross hasn't been released yet. Sometimes it take a few more days for limited releases from sub-divisions of distributors to be released, so I'll update it the number when it's available.

>The Dark Tower is a huge bomb for Sony, only selling 30,995 admissions over the weekend on 235 screens and coming in tenth place.

A bit late to this discussion, but I'm curious why Brave bombed so badly in Japan. It didn't even make ¥1 billion, which is shocking for a Pixar film. Toy Story 3 had just broken the ¥10 billion mark two years earlier, and it's hard to imagine the Pixar brand losing its appeal that fast. I'd argue Brave is still a princess movie with fantasy elements, so I'm really interested in finding out why it was rejected in Japan.

Several reasons, but even considering what I'm about to explain, it bombed harder than it should have.

1.) Opening against Mamoru Hosoda's (considered one of Hayao Miyazaki's successors in the market) first major release, Wolf Children, seemingly hurt Brave's opening, and later its legs as well following Wolf Children's very positive reception. It's rare in Japan for any film to noticeably harm the performance of another film, but I've listed this example as one of those rare times.

2.) If I remember correctly, Brave received a significant 3D release (~75% 3D showings versus ~25% 2D showings) when 3D was becoming unpopular and rejected. From 2010-2011, 3D showings for 3D films were accounting for a whopping 70/80% share of revenue, but come mid-2012, that share plummeted to around 20%. It's since recovered a bit, averaging around 40% for high-profile releases.

3.) The film was titled Merida and the Terrible Forest in Japan, which wasn't the best choice. The marketing was rather on the scarier side, which apparently was enough to keep families/children away. And it didn't help that Wolf Children had such an incredible family message to counter any mother/daughter angle Brave may have had going for it.

4.) While it was released just two years after Toy Story 3, it was also released after Cars 2. Pixar's first sequel, and its mixed reception, caused some long-term damage to the brand that exists even to this day (the other mixed received sequels since haven't helped whatsoever either). All of Pixar's films since the release of Cars 2 have either barely met expectations or have fallen below them.

It would be great if Geostorm could eek out more than $10.1m to become its second-highest non-US market (behind China, of course!).