'Space Battleship Yamato' Tops Japan Box Office

The latest "Harry Potter" film drops down to the second spot.

TOKYO -- The new live-action Space Battleship Yamato has cruised to the top of the box office, sinking Harry Potter down to the No. 2 spot with a take of almost 1 billion yen ($12 million) in the first five days since its Dec. 1 release.



Opening on 440 screens, distributor Toho reports that Yamato had pulled 791,012 cinema-goers into its wake by Sun 5. Nearly two-thirds of audiences are reported to be in their 30s and 40s.



The big screen version of the classic 1974 anime stars Takuya Kimura and has already been sold to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, France and Germany, with negotiations in progress for a U.S. release.

Elsewhere on the chart, the latest Bleach anime -- also distributed by Toho -- debuted in third spot, while Bushi no Kakeibo (Abacus and Sword) a family samurai drama from Asmik Ace and Shochiku, jumped up to fourth. SP The Movie Yabohen, a police drama from Toho, dropped down from second to fifth after six weeks in theaters.