#Japan Box Office: BELLE Makes Its Impressive No.1 Debut with 890 Million Yen

Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime / BELLE, Mamoru Hosoda’s much-awaited new film was released in 416 theaters across Japan on Friday, July 16, then earned 680 million yen (6.2 million USD) on 459,000 admissions on its first Saturday and Sunday, 890 million yen (8.09 million USD) on 600,000 admissions in its first three days from Friday through Sunday, making its impressive No.1 debut in its first weekend.

The film’s first three-day gross was 178 percent of that of Hosoda’s previous film Mirai no Mirai / Mirai released in July 2018 and 115 percent of that of his most commercially successful film Bakemono no Ko / The Boy and The Beast in July 2015. If this momentum continues, it may become the highest-grossing film of the director’s career, surpassing Bakemono no Ko‘s record of 5.85 billion yen (53.2 million USD).

On the other hand, the 121-minute film has received mixed reviews, ranking only fourth on Fillmarks’ first day satisfaction ranking with an approval rating of 3.71 based on 6,664 reviews. While its visuals and music have been highly praised, many viewers have criticized its incoherent plot and a lack of explanation about the main characters’ emotions.

The live-action film adaptation of Ken Wakui’s Tokyo Revengers manga was down one position to second in its second weekend. The Takumi Kitamura (Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro)-starring film had earned 1.5 billion yen (13.7 million USD) on 1.1 million admissions, becoming the third top-grossing Japanese film of this year based on a Japanese manga. Meanwhile, the live-action film adaptation of Mayu Murata’s popular shoujo manga Honey Lemon Soda had kept its debut weekend’s fourth position in its second weekend, bringing its total to 230 million yen (2.1 million USD).

On the last weekend before the end of its theatrical run in Japan, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time ranked sixth, one position down from the previous weekend. The film’s total box office gross from its 19-week run has reached 10.15 billion yen (92.68 million USD) on 6.64 million admissions in 133 days since its release in Japan on March 8, 2021. The 155-minute film will start streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Japan from August 13.

The first part of the trilogy anime film project Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway disappeared from the top 10 in its sixth weekend, but its total box office gross has reached 1.85 billion yen (16.89 million USD). Now it has become the third top-grossing anime film of this year, behind Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet (7.34 billion yen) and Gintama THE FINAL (1.87 billion yen). 

 Weekend box office Top 10 in Japan (July 17-18, 2021)

 (ticket sales basis)

 1 (new). “BELLE” – 890 million yen

 2 (1). “Tokyo Revengers” – 1.5 billion yen

 3 (2). “Godzilla vs. Kong” – 1.4 billion yen yen

 4 (4). “Honey Lemon Soda” – 230 million yen

 5 (3). “Black Widow” – 350 million yen

 6 (5). “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” – 10.15 billion yen

 7 (8). “Character” – 1.3 billion yen

 8 (7). “Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning” – 2.2 billion yen

 9 (6). ” The Fable: Korosanai Korohsiya” – 1.2 billion yen

10 (new): “SEOBOK”

Source: Eiga.com, Pixiin, Oricon News

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