TOKYO — New installments of two long-running animation series, both distributed by Toho, bowed atop the Japanese box office for the weekend of April 16-17, while “Spotlight” debuted at number seven.

Entering at number one was “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare,” the 20th episode in a feature animation series about the cases of a clever teenaged detective trapped in a boy’s body. Released on 348 screens, the film earned a resounding $11 million on 934,000 admissions. This is 38% better than the previous “Conan” film, which went on to finish with $41 million last year.

Premiering at number two was “Crayon Shin-chan: Fast Asleep! Dreaming World Big Assault!,” the 26th feature entry in an animated series starring a sexually precocious kindergartener. Released on 334 screens, the film recorded $3.7 million. This was slightly better than the take of the previous “Crayon” film, which ended its run with $21 million.

Boosted by its best picture Oscar, “Spotlight” opened on 109 screens on Friday (April 15) through Longride, and recorded $810,000 in its first three days of release.