Sumikko Gurashi drops to #4, Saekano film stays at #9, French City Hunter film at #10

Lupin III THE FIRST , the new anime film in Monkey Punch 's Lupin III franchise , sold 220,000 tickets and earned 307,395,900 yen (about US$2.82 million) from Friday to Sunday. It sold 177,000 tickets for 244,827,850 yen (about US$2.26 million) from Saturday to Sunday to rank #2 in its opening weekend. The film earned only 37.7% of the opening weekend gross of the 2013 crossover film Lupin III vs. Detective Conan The Movie , but the Eiga.com website projects that the film will eventually earn more than 1.5 billion yen (about US$13.8 million).

The film opened in Japan last Friday on 389 screens.

The film is the franchise 's first 3D CG feature-length film. Takashi Yamazaki ( Stand By Me Doraemon , Dragon Quest: Your Story ) directed and wrote the film. The film's story centers on Lupin teaming up with a woman named Leticia to steal the Bresson Diary, a treasure that even the first generation Arsène Lupin could not steal.

The live-action film of Rin Mikimoto 's Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight ( Gozen 0-ji, Kiss Shi ni Kite yo ) manga sold 159,000 tickets and earned 194,913,000 yen (about US$1.79 million) from Friday to Sunday. It sold 121,000 tickets for 144,777,900 yen (about US$1.33 million) from Saturday to Sunday to rank #3 in its opening weekend. The film earned only 46% of the opening weekend gross of the live-action Kaguya-sama: Love is War film, with the film's core audience being female teenagers and women in their 20s. The Eiga.com website projects that the film will eventually earn over 1 billion yen (about US$9.2 million).

The film opened in Japan last Friday on 255 screens. Takehiko Shinjō directed the film, with a script by Haruka Ōkita.

GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE 's Ryota Katayose stars in the film as Kaede Ayasa, and Kanna Hashimoto stars as Hinana Hanazawa.

Kodansha Comics publishes the manga in English.

Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tobidasu Ehon to Himitsu no Ko (Sumikko Gurashi The Movie - The Unexpected Picture Book and the Secret Child), the anime film of San-X 's "Sumikko Gurashi" (Living in the Corner) characters, dropped from #2 to #4 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 84,685,000 yen (about US$779,700) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold over 810,000 tickets, and has earned a cumulative total of 981,897,800 yen (about US$9.04 million) with 716,224 tickets.

The film ranked #3 in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on November 8 in 114 theaters. The film sold 104,000 tickets and earned 121 million yen (about US$1.11 million) over the weekend, but sold 114,280 tickets and earned 132,873,500 yen (about US$1.22 million) from Friday to Sunday of that week. The Eiga.com website estimates that the film will eventually earn 1 billion yen (about US$9.18 million).

Mankyū ( [email protected] Cinderella Girls Theater , Jaku-San-Sei Million Arthur ) directed the film at Fanworks . Takashi Sumita (Europe Kikaku) penned the script. Kaori Hino ( Napping Princess , In This Corner of the World ) was the art director.

The film's story begins when the Sumikko Gurashi characters find a mysterious picture book in the basement of a cafe they always go to. The film features new locales, items, and characters.

Saenai Heroine no Sodate-kata fine , the anime film based on Fumiaki Maruto 's Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend light novel series, stayed at #9 in its seventh weekend. The film earned 43,251,500 yen (about US$398,300) from Friday to Sunday, more than its previous weekend gross. It has earned a cumulative total of 667,463,980 yen (about US$6.14 million).

The film opened at #5 in Japan. It earned 136,362,600 yen (about US$1.25 million) on Saturday and Sunday. The film opened on October 26 on 121 screens.

Kanta Kamei served as chief director at CloverWorks , and Akihisa Shibata (episode director for the two previous seasons) was the director. Fumiaki Maruto returned to write the script, and Tomoaki Takase returned to design the characters. Aniplex is distributing the film.

Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon (Nicky Larson and the Cupid's Purfume), the French live-action film of Tsukasa Hojo 's City Hunter manga, dropped from #8 to #10 in its second weekend. The film earned 27,413,200 yen (about US$252,400) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 109,990,000 yen (about US$1.01 million).

The film sold 38,676 tickets for 47,883,700 yen (about US$438,500) in its first three days. It ranked #8 in its opening weekend in Japan. While the movie is aimed at those in their 30s and 40s who were familiar with the original manga and anime, the weekend also saw groups of friends and couples in their 20s attending screenings of the film. The film opened in Japan last Friday, November 29 on 102 screens.

The film has the Japanese title City Hunter the Movie: Shijō Saikō no Mission ( City Hunter the Movie: The Most Aromatic Mission Ever). Nicky Larson is the French title of the City Hunter franchise , as well as the French localized name of the protagonist Ryō Saeba. Albatros Film is distributing the film in Japan.

The live-action film version stars Philippe Lacheau as Nicky Larson . Tarek Boudali and Élodie Fontan also star in the film. Philippe Lacheau and Pierre Lacheau wrote the film alongside writer and actor Julien Arruti .

Gekijōban Gundam G no Reconguista I: Ike! Core Fighter (Go! Core Fighter), the first of the planned five compilation films for the Gundam Reconguista in G anime series, stayed at #1 in the mini-theater rankings in its second weekend. The film opened in Japan on November 29.

The anime adaptation of Sato's Fragtime manga dropped from #2 to #3 in the mini-theater ranking in its third weekend.

Sources: Eiga.com, Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), comScore via KOFIC