Chiikawa Holds Japan’s Box Office Lead as Live-Action Look Back Debuts Fifth

Chiikawa’s first anime film held #1 at Japan’s box office for its eighth weekend. From Friday through Sunday, it sold 271,000 tickets and earned 427,295,700 yen (about US$2.75 million).

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island (Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu) has now sold 10.09 million tickets. Its total earnings reached 14,666,866,500 yen (about US$94.61 million).

The adaptation of Nagano’s manga became Japan’s biggest film this year, overtaking Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway (Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi). That film earned 13.7 billion yen (about US$87.8 million).

Chiikawa now stands at #23 on Japan’s all-time box office chart.

The film opened July 24 and took #1 in its debut weekend. Its early earnings were:

• Opening day: 990 million yen (about US$6.05 million).
• First three days: 1,508,500 tickets sold.
• First three days: 2,240,333,500 yen earned (about US$13.70 million).

4DX screenings started September 5. A single day of cheering screenings followed September 11, with penlight screenings scheduled for September 23.

The film adapts the manga storyline posted on X, formerly Twitter, from March through November 2023. Readers nicknamed it the “Siren Arc” or “Island Arc.”

The story opens as Chiikawa and Hachiware relax before a rabbit suddenly arrives with a flyer covering its face. Hachiware reads an invitation to a special island.

The flyer promises generous rewards for easy hunts and practically free sweet and spicy food, including island-exclusive ramen and sweets. Chiikawa and friends decide to visit.

Rakko distrusts the flyer and accompanies them. The story follows what awaits the group upon reaching the island.

The production credits include:

• Nagano: original story, screenplay, and supervision.
• Kei Oikawa: director at Cygames Pictures; previous credits include Uma Musume Pretty Derby 3 seasons, Hinamatsuri, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!, and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax.
• QTORY inc.: production management.
• TOHO: distribution.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising (Gekijōban Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magica: Walpurgis no Kaiten) slipped from #3 to #4 in its third weekend.

The official sequel to Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie Part 3: Rebellion earned 169,476,760 yen (about US$1.09 million) from Friday through Sunday. Its cumulative earnings reached 1,838,112,960 yen (about US$11.85 million).

The film opened in Japan on August 28, with IMAX screenings beginning the same day. It sold 535,000 tickets and earned 939,647,100 yen (about US$5.95 million) across its first three days.

Shion Wakayama voices the new magical girl Shichōka, while Tomoyo Kurosawa plays Selma Therese. Yuki Kajiura’s solo project FictionJunction performs the theme song, “Kanata.”

Yukihiro Miyamoto directed the film. His credits include Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, and Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Staff returning from the original television anime and films include:

• Magica Quartet: original creators.
• Akiyuki Simbo: chief director.
• Gen Urobuchi of Nitroplus: scriptwriter.
• Ume Aoki: original character designer.
• Junichirō Taniguchi: animation character designer.
• Yuki Kajiura: composer.
• Gekidan Inu Curry: alternate space designer.
• SHAFT: animation studio.

The live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga Look Back entered the chart at #5. It earned 144,146,120 yen (about US$929,800) over its first three days.

Aju Makita, whose credits include Child of Kamiari Month and Happiness, plays Kyōmoto. Natsuki Deguchi, known for I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t/ and Blue Spring Ride, plays Fujino.

Hirokazu Kore-eda directed, edited, and wrote the screenplay. His previous films include Shoplifters, Our Little Sister, and Air Doll.

Yūta Bandō, also known as Taku Matsushiba, composed the score. His credits include BELLE and Kaiju No. 8.

Three special guest staff members contributed:

• Musician Kenshi Yonezu played guitar under the credit “Shark Kick Guitar.”
• Actress and singer Tōko Miura provided vocals for an insert song.
• Animator and director Yōko Kuno directed a rotoscoped animation sequence based on their performance, with animation produced by Shinei Animation.

Sound! Euphonium, The Final Movie Part 2 (Saishū Gakushō Hibike! Euphonium Kōhen) debuted at #7. It earned 147,719,540 yen (about US$952,900) in its first three days.

The film concludes the two-part Sound! Euphonium, The Final Movie project. The first installment opened April 24.

Its staff includes:

• Taichi Ogawa: director.
• Tatsuya Ishihara: chief director.
• Jukki Hanada: script supervision and writing.
• Shoko Ikeda and Kazumi Ikeda: character designers.
• Kazumi Ikeda: chief animation director.
• Akito Matsuda: music composition at Lantis and Heart Company.
• Senzoku Gakuen College of Music: music cooperation.

Three titles dropped out of the top 10:

• Crayon Shin-chan The Movie Super Strange! My Yōkai Monster Vacation (Eiga Crayon Shin-chan Kikikaikai! Ora no Yōkai Bake-shon), the franchise’s 33rd 2D anime film, exited in its seventh weekend.
• Kingdom: Decisive Battle of the Soul (Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen), the fifth live-action film adapting Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom manga, exited in its ninth weekend.
• Sekiro: No Defeat, the new anime based on FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice game, exited in its second weekend.