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Corpse Usual Locations [Two-Thirds of Market] - Hourly Ticket Sales [Saturday] 10AM > 11AM > 12PM > 1PM > 2PM > 3PM > 4PM > 5PM > 7PM > 10PM > FINAL 63,854 - One Piece Film Gold Compared to: 74,565 > 116,519 > 144,266 > 177,687 > 206,086 > 240,279 > 271,568 > 281,438 > 308,702 > 317,438 > 317,709 - Yo-Kai Watch 2 52,996 > x60,631 > x75,890 > 117,855 > 124,236 > 147,342 > 187,892 > 197,398 > 226,441 > 286,005 > 293,246 - Star Wars VII 39,622 > x55,638 > x79,473 > x99,228 > 124,143 > 156,171 > 176,298 > 194,209 > 229,193 > 285,429 > 289,656 - Detective Conan 20 Massive start for One Piece! It only trails Yo-Kai Watch 2 at the moment, which is understandable since Yo-Kai's ticket sales are predominantly in the morning/early afternoon. One Piece, however, won't slow down much throughout the day thanks to its diverse audience and will overtake Yo-Kai Watch 2 as the day progresses, and should easily maintain its lead over Star Wars VII as well.

corpse Here is how One Piece Film Gold compares to the four biggest openers of the past few years, excluding Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, which I regrettably didn't track: Advance Ticket Sales/Available Seats Available at ~44 hours before first showings begin: 25,355/40,834 (62.0%); 9 Theaters/95 Showings - Yo-Kai Watch: It's the Secret of Birth, Nyan! (2014) 17,499/35,427 (49.4%); 9 Theaters/81 Showings - One Piece Film Z (2012) 17,333/45,608 (38.0%); 10 Theaters/141 Showings - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 11,672/30,112 (38.8%); 10 Theaters/105 Showings - Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories, Nyan! (2015) 11,331/42,376 (26.7%); 10 Theaters/123 Showings - One Piece Film Gold (2016) One Piece Film Gold happens to be the only summer release here (all the others were December openers), and that's certainly going to make a difference somehow. We'll just have to wait and see if its pre-sales represent more of its opening day admissions, or if the opposite is possible. It's also worth noting that its seat reservations went up just yesterday, which is a lot later than the top three films on this list that received seat reservations weeks prior to opening, giving them a bit of a head start in terms of pre-sales at this stage. Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories, Nyan!'s seat reservations went up a few days before opening, just like One Piece Film Gold, so it's the most accurate comparison at this point. I'll post a similar update tomorrow evening, and possibly one more on Friday before the weekend begins.

Corpse One Piece Film Gold opens this weekend and it's looking at major business, potentially a record breaking opening weekend if all goes well. The last film achieved the second biggest opening for a domestic film ever 4 years ago, and the new film will be playing on more than twice as many screens and will receive a premium format release. It's taking the biggest screens away from Finding Dory at every theater, and its showtimes are already beginning to reach half-capacity or better (sell-outs are already popping up, too) nationwide with three days to go. A lot of theaters are also giving it a midnight release, which is very, very rare in the market. The Toho Cinema in Shinjuku is giving it 17 showings across 10 screens starting at 12AM and ending at 5AM ahead of the weekend. It'll be receiving the widest release for a domestic film of all-time [743 screens], and is also being shown in 3D/4D, IMAX, and with English subtitles at certain locations. I'll get to counting tickets later this evening to see how it's stacking up against other major openers at the 10 theaters I've always kept a close eye on, when a major opener like this approaches.

Corpse Weekend Estimates (06/25-26)/2016年06月25日-2016年06月26日 01 (---) ¥210,000,000 ($2.0 million), 0, ¥210,000,000 ($2.0 million), Too Young To Die! (Toho/Asmik Ace) NEW 02 (01) ¥162,000,000 ($1.6 million), -19%, ¥7,175,000,000 ($66.5 million), Zootopia (Disney) WK10 03 (03) ¥145,000,000 ($1.4 million), -27%, ¥1,575,000,000 ($14.7 million), Evergreen Love (Shochiku) WK4 04 (02) ¥129,000,000 ($1.2 million), -35%, ¥475,000,000 ($4.5 million), Sadako vs Kayako (Kadokawa) WK2 05 (04) ¥108,000,000 ($1.0 million), -43%, ¥1,220,000,000 ($11.5 million), 64: Part 2 (Toho) WK3 06 (05) ¥101,000,000 ($990,000), -34%, ¥1,795,000,000 ($16.8 million), Deadpool (Fox) WK4 07 (06) ¥73,000,000 ($710,000), -43%, ¥320,000,000 ($3.1 million), Creepy (Shochiku) WK2 08 (07) ¥51,000,000 ($500,000), -37%, ¥1,075,000,000 ($10.0 million), Wolf Girl and Black Prince (Warner Bros.) WK5 09 (---) ¥50,000,000 ($490,000), 0, ¥50,000,000 ($490,000), The Worst Bad Guys in Japan (Toei) NEW 10 (08) ¥28,000,000 ($270,000), -65%, ¥150,000,000 ($1.4 million), Mars (Showgate) WK2 A typically slow, boring June weekend ahead of the Summer Box Office Season. Too Young To Die! appears to have opened above ¥200 million, and while that's not much, it's enough to debut atop the box office and isn't too bad for a June release, honestly. Beyond that... bring on July/August. Overall, this June hasn't been too bad. It's traditionally a dumping ground, and this year's will end up with potentially five ¥1 billion earners: Deadpool (done), Evergreen Love (done), 64: Part 2 (done), Sadako vs. Kayako (maybe), and Too Young To Die! (maybe). Also, Deadpool's going to clear the ¥2 billion mark (notably impressive for June), and Evergreen Love might reach the milestone as well.

Corpse Weekend Actuals (04/16-17)/2016年04月16日-2016年04月17日 01 (--) ¥1,209,158,900 ($11.1 million), 0, ¥1,209,158,900 ($11.1 million), Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare (Toho) NEW 02 (--) ¥400,519,100 ($3.7 million), 0, ¥400,519,100 ($3.7 million), Crayon Shin-chan: Great Assault on the Dreaming World (Toho) NEW 03 (01) ¥142,636,900 ($1.3 million), -29%, ¥3,108,470,600 ($27.8 million), Assassination Classroom: Graduation (Toho) WK4 04 (02) ¥99,937,300 ($919,000), -32%, ¥1,646,959,500 ($14.8 million), Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) WK4 05 (03) ¥77,127,700 ($709,000), -33%, ¥3,884,690,900 ($34.8 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK7 06 (--) ¥67,955,800 ($624,000), 0, ¥67,955,800 ($624,000), Spotlight (Long Ride) NEW 07 (04) ¥67,450,300 ($620,000), -14%, ¥1,252,546,600 ($11.4 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK5 08 (05) ¥47,415,700 ($436,000), -31%, ¥1,291,509,700 ($11.6 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK4 09 (06) ¥43,303,200 ($398,000), -30%, ¥1,658,827,300 ($14.8 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK5 10 (07) ¥35,784,200 ($329,000), -37%, ¥518,949,700 ($4.7 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) WK4 >Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare, the 20th film and 20th anniversary release in the popular Detective Conan series, set the box office on fire this weekend; delivering one of the most impressive opening weekends in quite some time, and what could be the biggest opening weekend of 2016 (calendar year) not just so far, but overall. It sold an astounding 933,781 admissions over the weekend across 348 screens. Here's a list of its accomplishments this weekend: >Fourth Biggest Opening for an Animated Film (Gross and Admissions). >Biggest Opening Weekend for the Month of April (Admissions). >Second Biggest Opening for the Month of April (Gross). >33rd Film to Debut Above ¥1 billion. >31st Film to Debut Above 800,000 Admissions; 25th to Debut Above 900,000. >New Franchise Opening Weekend Record; Claiming it by 38%. It achieved all of the above without playing in 3% of its actual theater count due to Saturday's earthquake, which shut down most of southern Japan over the weekend. The Detective Conan franchise has had over a dozen hit films in the past, and while each film over the past few years have set consecutive franchise records, none have been able to reach blockbuster status. Until now. It's quite clear that this year's release will definitely reach the ¥5 billion ($45 million) blockbuster milestone, and might even exceed ¥6 billion ($55 million+). >Crayon Shin-chan: Fast Asleep! Great Assault on the Dreaming World comes in at a distant second place, but it's far from a disappointing opening since it, too, set a new franchise record! The 24th film in the Crayon Shin-chan franchise sold an impressive 337,108 over the weekend on 334 screens; achieving a new franchise record by beating last year's film by 2%. This long running annual franchise goes mostly overlooked compared to the other annual franchises like Pokemon, Doraemon, and its opening weekend comrade Detective Conan, but it has begun to breakaway from its typical openings/totals and is becoming a box office success itself in recent years. This year's release is likely to gross over ¥2 billion (~$20 million) again, and could break its own record by beating last year's film's ¥2.28 billion. >Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan held on surprisingly well this weekend, since Doraemon films tend to collapse when Detective Conan/Crayon Shin-chan open this time of year. It was already more than likely to become the highest-grossing film in the Doraemon franchise, but this weekend has assured that it's going to happen very soon. It's also going to become the first film in the franchise to gross over ¥4 billion. Incredible. >Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has stabilized a bit, and in comparison to most other superhero films, has actually started to display some decent legs. It out-grossed The Dark Knight over the weekend, and is still on a good path to probably out-gross The Dark Knight Rises to become DC's highest-grossing, modern, superhero film. >Spotlight is finally playing in Japan and what would have been a likely no show in the Top 10 had it not won Best Picture, turned into a decent opening weekend. It's a limited release, playing on 88 screens and was picked up by a small independent distributor, but it managed to sell 50,932 admissions over the weekend. Not bad, although it'll be one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners in well over a decade.

Corpse Usual Locations (Two-Thirds of Market) - Weekend Admissions Saturday Results: Tickets Sold/Available Tickets (% Capacity) - Film Title [Theaters/Showings] 317,709/530,456 (59.9% capacity) - Yo-Kai Watch 2 [231/1,727] 293,246/714,702 (41.0% capacity) - Star Wars VII [236/2,789] 289,656/530,905 (54.5% capacity) - Detective Conan 20 [230/1,502] Sunday Results: Tickets Sold/Available Tickets (% Capacity) - Film Title [Theaters/Showings] 303,414/524,359 (57.9% capacity) - Yo-Kai Watch 2 [231/1,688] 282,386/512,761 (55.1% capacity) - Detective Conan 20 [226/1,434] 275,491/670,208 (41.1% capacity) - Star Wars VII [236/2,636] Weekend Results: Tickets Sold/Available Tickets (% Capacity) - Film Title [Theaters/Showings] 621,123/1,051,181 (59.1% capacity) - Yo-Kai Watch 2 [231/3,415] 572,042/1,043,666 (54.8% capacity) - Detective Conan 20 [230/2,936] 569,497/1,392,147 (40.9% capacity) - Star Wars VII [236/5,431] I don't really have time to put together weekend estimates, but these numbers are massive for Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare. It likely sold around 900,000 admissions, if not more, over the weekend, which will best The Force Awakens (800,258). I don't believe it'll quite match Yo-Kai Watch 2's (974,557) admissions, but it could very well have topped in in terms of gross due to its higher avg. ticket price. And a third uber-blockbuster opening of ¥1 billion+ in the span of 4 months is pretty crazy when some years go without a single one. Detective Conan 20 also had to deal with the earthquake scare and its aftershocks over the weekend, which effectively shut down ~8% of the nation's theaters, too, yet still managed this massive opening. I'll provide a more thorough weekend analysis after I return home this evening.

Corpse Weekend Estimates (04/09-10)/2016年04月09日-2016年04月10日 01 (01) ¥197,000,000 ($1.8 million), -50%, ¥2,675,000,000 ($23.8 million), Assassination Classroom: Graduation (Toho) WK3 02 (03) ¥152,000,000 ($1.4 million), -32%, ¥1,450,000,000 ($12.8 million), Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) WK3 03 (02) ¥112,000,000 ($1.0 million), -52%, ¥3,750,000,000 ($33.4 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK6 04 (04) ¥85,000,000 ($790,000), -28%, ¥1,150,000,000 ($11.1 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK4 05 (06) ¥66,000,000 ($610,000), -32%, ¥1,175,000,000 ($11.2 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK4 06 (05) ¥57,000,000 ($530,000), -43%, ¥1,575,000,000 ($14.1 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK5 07 (07) ¥57,000,000 ($525,000), -37%, ¥450,000,000 ($3.9 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) WK3 08 (09) ¥46,000,000 ($420,000), -24%, ¥175,000,000 ($1.5 million), Suspicious Woman (Shochiku) WK2 09 (--) ¥45,000,000 ($415,000), 0, ¥45,000,000 ($415,000), Room (Gaga) NEW 10 (08) ¥38,000,000 ($350,000), -39%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.8 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK4

Corpse Weekend Forecast (04/09-10)/2016年04月09日-2016年04月10日 01 (01) ¥228,000,000 ($2.1 million), -42%, ¥2,700,000,000 ($24.0 million), Assassination Classroom: Graduation (Toho) WK3 02 (03) ¥156,000,000 ($1.4 million), -30%, ¥1,450,000,000 ($12.8 million), Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) WK3 03 (02) ¥122,000,000 ($1.1 million), -48%, ¥3,750,000,000 ($33.4 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK6 04 (04) ¥66,000,000 ($610,000), -37%, ¥1,125,000,000 ($10.9 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK4 05 (06) ¥65,000,000 ($600,000), -32%, ¥1,175,000,000 ($11.2 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK4 06 (05) ¥59,000,000 ($545,000), -42%, ¥1,575,000,000 ($14.1 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK5 07 (07) ¥54,000,000 ($500,000), -40%, ¥450,000,000 ($3.9 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) WK3 08 (09) ¥39,000,000 ($360,000), -35%, ¥175,000,000 ($1.5 million), Suspicious Woman (Shochiku) WK2 09 (08) ¥35,000,000 ($325,000), -43%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.8 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK4 10 (10) ¥29,000,000 ($270,000), -31%, ¥1,100,000,000 ($9.9 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK5 The post-Spring Break weekend (the second weekend of April) is well-known for poor holds for most films, especially those targeting kids/teens, although the films attracting an older/adult audience can sometimes hold on well-enough post the holiday period. >Assassination Classroom: Graduation is likely to repeat atop the box office for a third-consecutive weekend; Batman vs Superman may have the best weekend hold (it's skewing strongly towards the adult crowd); Doraemon will begin to fade as it does every year at this time; and remaining holdovers will be making what little they can before the onslaught of mid/late April releases arrive in time for Golden Week in three weeks. >Room is a darkhorse this weekend, and could see a debut around the bottom of the Top 10. Its pre-sales are decent, and with Brie Larson having won Best Actress for the film, it has generated some interest before opening.

Corpse Weekend Actuals (04/02-03)/2016年04月02日-2016年04月03日 01 (01) ¥393,471,200 ($3.5 million), -38%, ¥2,228,475,800 ($19.8 million), Assassination Classroom: Graduation (Toho) WK2 02 (03) ¥234,597,000 ($2.1 million), -14%, ¥3,382,985,800 ($30.1 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK5 03 (02) ¥223,038,900 ($2.0 million), -40%, ¥1,092,268,300 ($9.6 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) WK2 04 (07) ¥104,211,800 ($933,000), -12%, ¥912,162,800 ($8.2 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK3 05 (06) ¥101,426,000 ($908,000), -22%, ¥1,380,084,200 ($12.3 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK4 06 (05) ¥96,942,200 ($868,000), -34%, ¥1,012,613,100 ($9.0 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK3 07 (04) ¥91,386,800 ($818,000), -41%, ¥350,543,400 ($3.1 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) WK2 08 (08) ¥61,515,900 ($500,000), -23%, ¥482,615,200 ($4.3 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK3 09 (--) ¥60,260,400 ($539,000), 0, ¥60,260,400 ($539,000), Suspicious Woman (Shochiku) NEW 10 (09) ¥44,628,200 ($385,000), -41%, ¥1,019,099,700 ($9.1 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK4 >Assassination Classroom: Graduation goes unchallenged for the top position, claiming its second week atop the charts. The final film in the series held just as well as its predecessor, surprisingly enough, selling 335,418 admissions over its second weekend frame. The conclusion film in the popular Assassination Classroom series has already exceeded two million admissions after only ten days in release, and is now outpacing its predecessor by 76%. That percentage should shrink a bit since the original film was released one week earlier, thus didn't receive as much of a boost from Spring Break, but this final film is still well on track for possibly ¥3.5 billion ($30 million+), if not ¥4 billion ($35 million+) with over three million admissions. >Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan rises one spot to claim second place in its fifth weekend of release, delivering an excellent hold. The 36th installment in the most-attended film franchise sold an additional 198,103 admissions over the weekend, bringing its five-week total admissions just shy of three million with 2,985,122. The remake of the 1989 original continues to post great numbers (very similar to last year's film), and should eventually finish quite close to the ¥4 billion ($35 million) mark with nearly 3.5 million admissions. >Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice fell to third place thanks to its expected rough second weekend drop, as nearly every superhero film experiences, selling 136,402 admissions. After ten days in release, DC's most popular heroes have managed to sell over 700,000 admissions. In terms of admissions, the film is performing quite poorly, but thanks to healthy 3D and other premium shares, its gross is pretty good. Unless it fails to stabilize, even if only just slightly, there's still a good chance it'll outgross The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-grossing film based on a DC property in the market, though only just with about ¥2 billion ($17/18 million). >The Town Where Only I Am Missing exceeded the ¥1 billion milestone in its third week of release, adding itself among the ever growing list of successful domestic films released by Warner Bros.. Since 2012, Warner Bros. has found more success in Japan by distributing domestic pictures versus their own releases. >Suspicious Woman bombs, as expected, only coming in ninth place in its debut weekend. Mizuta Nobuo's remake of the hit Korean film only sold 47,827 admissions across 280 screens. >Just outside the Top 10 this week, Yoji Yamada's latest, What a Wonderful Family, exceeded the ¥1 billion ($9 million) milestone after four weeks in release.

Corpse Weekend Forecast (04/02-03)/2016年04月02日-2016年04月03日 01 (01) ¥371,000,000 ($3.3 million), -42%, ¥2,200,000,000 ($19.6 million), Assassination Classroom: Graduation (Toho) WK2 02 (02) ¥223,000,000 ($2.0 million), -40%, ¥1,050,000,000 ($9.3 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) WK2 03 (03) ¥209,000,000 ($1.9 million), -23%, ¥3,400,000,000 ($30.2 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK5 04 (06) ¥98,000,000 ($875,000), -24%, ¥1,400,000,000 ($12.4 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK4 05 (05) ¥94,000,000 ($840,000), -36%, ¥1,000,000,000 ($8.9 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK3 06 (07) ¥92,000,000 ($825,000), -23%, ¥900,000,000 ($8.1 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK3 07 (04) ¥78,000,000 ($700,000), -50%, ¥330,000,000 ($2.9 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) WK2 08 (--) ¥60,000,000 ($535,000), 0, ¥60,000,000 ($535,000), Suspicious Woman (Shochiku) NEW 09 (08) ¥56,000,000 ($500,000), -30%, ¥480,000,000 ($4.3 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK3 10 (09) ¥43,000,000 ($385,000), -43%, ¥1,000,000,000 ($9.0 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK4 The post-Spring Break weekend, like every other post-holiday weekend, is a dead weekend. The only wide opener is Suspicious Woman, and its pre-sales and morning/afternoon ticket sales are expectedly awful. It doesn't have any chance of making a run at the Top 5, and will likely barely settle for a Top 10 debut. Also, it's definitely worth noting that the final Love Live! performance from the Tokyo Dome, titled μ's Final Love Live! Forever, is being broadcast in theaters on Saturday. It's a 2-day event, which began yesterday, and its admissions from yesterday appeared to be high enough to propel it into the Top 5 for the day. So even though it only has Saturday, that day alone could very well be enough to earn it a Top 10 position for the weekend. In fact, I'd be surprised if it doesn't make the Top 10. Ticket prices are likely absurdly high, too, so it wouldn't even need the necessary admissions to pull of a Top 10 debut, either.

Corpse Weekend Actuals (03/26-27)/2016年03月26日-2016年03月27日 01 (--) ¥639,139,900 ($5.7 million), 0, ¥860,730,100 ($7.6 million), Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation (Toho) NEW 02 (--) ¥371,254,400 ($3.3 million), 0, ¥501,228,500 ($4.4 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW 03 (01) ¥270,888,500 ($2.4 million), -32%, ¥2,552,345,400 ($22.6 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 04 (--) ¥155,290,500 ($1.4 million), 0, ¥155,290,500 ($1.4 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW 05 (02) ¥147,210,600 ($1.3 million), -34%, ¥688,629,700 ($6.0 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK2 06 (03) ¥130,252,400 ($1.2 million), -34%, ¥997,539,900 ($8.8 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK3 07 (04) ¥118,221,400 ($1.0 million), -35%, ¥558,691,800 ($5.0 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK2 08 (06) ¥79,574,400 ($704,000), -41%, ¥330,392,800 ($3.0 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK2 09 (05) ¥75,684,000 ($669,000), -49%, ¥872,485,500 ($7.7 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK3 10 (07) ¥71,839,600 ($635,000), -43%, ¥904,871,900 ($8.0 million), What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK3 >Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation dethrones Doraemon from atop the box office, just as its predecessor did last year. The second film in the hugely popular Assassination Classroom series scored the largest debut for a domestic live-action film in the month of March, selling 544,641 admissions across 319 screens over the weekend frame. And since opening on Friday, to take advantage of Spring Break, its three-day admissions rose to an incredible 750,353. While a big opening was expected given the hype surrounding the film's release, and the series reaching its conclusion this month as well, few were expecting it to sell so many tickets so far. By comparison, it sold 56% more admissions than its predecessor over the weekend frame. So with a debut this high, a total over ¥3 billion ($25 million+) is pretty much guaranteed, and it'll be aiming for a total of ¥3.5-4 billion ($30-35 million) with likely 3 million+ admissions. >Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice debuts in second place, selling 231,377 admissions on some 717 screens over the weekend frame, for an avg. ticket price of a whopping ¥1,606 ($14.2). Also after opening on Friday to take advantage of Spring Break, its three-day admissions climbed to 316,628. In terms of admissions, this opening is behind every other modern Batman/Superman film except for Man of Steel. So in that regard, this opening is quite disappointing. However, thanks to the very high avg. ticket price, it recorded the second highest debut for a DC film in the market (trailing The Dark Knight Rises by a mere 0.2%!). One can't really gauge WOM/reception this early in a market like Japan, but even with expected poor legs that most superhero films receive, a total of ¥2 billion ($18 million), though not much more, should be attainable. >Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan finally falls out of first place, but has done so with another great week/weekend. After four weeks in release, it has exceeded 2.2 million admissions; now trailing last year's release by 1.7% after being slightly ahead the past couple weeks. This year's film does have a couple more days of Spring Break left that its predecessor didn't after its fourth weekend, so let's see if it can pull ahead once again come next week. >Kamen Rider 1 comes in an expected fourth place, but unexpectedly, it landed itself the lowest debut in the long-running series since at least 2007 (perhaps a couple years earlier). The 53rd theatrical release, and marking the 45th anniversary of the film franchise, only sold 123,702 admissions across 307 screens. I'm sure that with bringing back the first Kamen Rider, Takeshi Hongo, playing the role once again after 45 years, Toei was certainly expecting a rebound or slight uptick for their stagnant series.

Corpse Biggest March Opening Weekends [1998-] Weekend Gross ¥ ($) / Admissions [Screen Count] - Film (Release Date) 01. ¥1.037 billion ($8.9 million) / 814,000 [780] - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2006) 02. ¥910.0 million ($6.9 million) / 618,000 [580] - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2002) 03. ¥823.2 million ($7.9 million) / 708,753 [667] - The Golden Compass (2008) 04. ¥763.4 million ($7.5 million) / 602,347 [598] - Frozen (2014) 05. ¥700.0 million ($6.2 million) / 550,000 [319] - Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation (2016) *Weekend Estimate* 06. ¥683.9 million ($7.3 million) / 561,098 [312] - Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013) 07. ¥667.3 million ($7.2 million) / 597,899 [353] - Doraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (2013) 08. ¥644.7 million ($5.4 million) / 557,310 [365] - Doraemon: Nobita's Space Record of Space Heroes (2015) 09. ¥637.0 million ($5.6 million) / 544,816 [374] - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (2016) 10. ¥600.4 million ($5.9 million) / 530,554 [361] - Doraemon: Nobita's Great Demon - Peko and the Exploration Party (2014) 11. ¥598.6 million ($5.1 million) / 468,142 [575] - Night at the Museum (2007) 12. ¥590.7 million ($4.5 million) / 465,624 [535] - Monsters, Inc. (2002) 13. ¥559.4 million ($4.8 million) / 501,500 [330] - Doraemon: Nobita's New Adventure into the Underworld (2007) 14. ¥553.5 million ($6.2 million) / 498,198 [366] - Doraemon: Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King (2010) 15. ¥552.6 million ($6.9 million) / 485,465 [359] - Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles (2012) 16. ¥516.1 million ($5.1 million) / 462,283 [344] - Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant Legend (2008) 17. ¥512.0 million ($4.2 million) / 384,000 [339] - Catch Me If You Can (2003) ¥500 million+

Corpse Weekend Estimates (03/26-27)/2016年03月26日-2016年03月27日 01 (--) ¥700,000,000 ($6.2 million), 0, ¥950,000,000 ($8.4 million), Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation (Toho) NEW 02 (--) ¥370,000,000 ($3.3 million), 0, ¥500,000,000 ($4.4 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW 03 (01) ¥264,000,000 ($2.3 million), -34%, ¥2,530,000,000 ($22.4 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 04 (--) ¥145,000,000 ($1.3 million), 0, ¥145,000,000 ($1.3 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW 05 (02) ¥139,000,000 ($1.2 million), -36%, ¥660,000,000 ($5.8 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK2 06 (03) ¥126,000,000 ($1.1 million), -36%, ¥980,000,000 ($8.7 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK3 07 (04) ¥113,000,000 ($1.0 million), -37%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.9 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK2 08 (06) ¥79,000,000 ($705,000), -41%, ¥325,000,000 ($2.9 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK2 09 (05) ¥72,000,000 ($640,000, -51%, ¥840,000,000 ($7.5 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK3 10 (07) ¥68,000,000 ($605,000), -45%, ¥870,000,000 ($7.7 million), What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK3 >Assassination Classroom 2 debuts atop the box office with a bang; delivering one of the biggest openings in the month of March. Based on estimates, its weekend admissions may have reached 550,000, which could allow it to exceed the ¥700 million mark. Compared to the first film, the sequel's opening is looking to be 60-70% higher. There was a lot of hype surrounding this film, as the series is concluding this Spring across each medium (anime, manga, film, etc.), so there should be some degree of frontloading for this one unlike the original, but a total over ¥3.5 billion ($30 million+) looks reasonable at the moment. >Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice settles for second place, though the debut itself is still respectable or even good. The estimate has it just shy of breaking the opening weekend record by a DC property (The Dark Knight Rises at ¥372 million), but even if it misses this record, it's a good start. Superhero films are typically frontloaded in the market, often struggling to reach multipliers of 5, but that'd be enough to give the Justice League prelude a ¥2 billion ($17/18 million) total. For comparison, anything over ¥1.98 billion will earn it the title of highest-grossing DC film since 1989. >Kamen Rider 1 failed to generate additional interest in the series, as this estimated opening is below that of every single modern film in the franchise, I believe, at least since the mid-2000s. Pretty disappointing.

Corpse Usual Locations - Sunday Admissions (Two-Thirds of Overall Market) Hourly Updates: 10AM > 11AM > 12PM > 1PM > 2PM > 3PM > 7PM > Final 25,871 > 36,558 > 62,851 > 80,768 > 101,163 > 125,749 > 153,990 > 157,983 - Assassination Classroom 2 (Toho) NEW 12,242 > 21,070 > 34,111 > 42,959 > x56,616 > x65,131 > x73,880 > x73,913 - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 x8,280 > 10,620 > 19,619 > 27,528 > x31,143 > x43,602 > x59,915 > x69,784 - Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW x6,974 > 11,750 > 17,455 > 22,268 > x26,490 > x30,168 > x34,774 > x35,448 - Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW x3,641 > x6,851 > 11,531 > 15,255 > x22,149 > x25,618 > x32,815 > x33,609 - The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK3 x1,434 > x3,290 > x5,282 > x9,996 > x14,445 > x19,558 > x30,007 > x32,410 - The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK2 x2,518 > x4,822 > x9,122 > 12,818 > x17,968 > x22,194 > x28,637 > x29,998 - Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK2 x3,265 > x6,838 > 10,908 > 15,765 > x18,195 > x20,979 > x22,617 > x22,634 - Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK2 x1,533 > x2,848 > x4,462 > x6,263 > xx8,734 > x10,718 > x13,974 > x14,755 - The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK3 x1,832 > x3,396 > x5,452 > x7,830 > xx9,781 > x11,762 > x13,771 > x13,994 - What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK3 Sunday Estimates: ¥300-320 million ($2.7 million) / 245,000-255,000 admissions - Assassination Classroom 2 (Toho) NEW ¥170-180 million ($1.5 million) / 110,000-120,000 admissions - Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW ¥150-160 million ($1.4 million) / 130,000-140,000 admissions - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 ¥65-75 million ($620,000) / 55,000-60,000 admissions - Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW Weekend Estimates will be posted shortly.

Usual Locations - Saturday Admissions (Two-Thirds of Overall Market) Corpse Hourly Updates: 10AM > 11AM > 12PM > 1PM > 2PM > 3PM > 7PM > Final 54,890 > 61,506 > 68,495 > 121,057 > 129,243 > 144,810 > 186,773 > 194,900 - Assassination Classroom 2 (Toho) NEW x6,905 > x8,840 > 15,803 > x22,392 > x25,375 > x36,578 > x54,775 > x76,888 - Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW x7,659 > 14,795 > 21,890 > x28,921 > x38,362 > x44,305 > x52,368 > x52,447 - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 x7,197 > 11,599 > 15,521 > x19,098 > x22,784 > x26,209 > x31,978 > x33,898 - Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW x1,035 > x2,389 > x3,837 > xx7,429 > x10,041 > x14,265 > x23,214 > x28,043 - The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK2 x2,332 > x4,687 > x7,536 > x10,586 > x15,838 > x18,290 > x24,685 > x25,737 - The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK3 x1,781 > x3,695 > x6,232 > xx9,117 > x12,511 > x16,140 > x21,917 > x24,600 - Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK2 x2,365 > x4,912 > x7,258 > x10,105 > x12,190 > x14,495 > x15,845 > x15,859 - Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK2 x1,021 > x1,893 > x3,088 > xx4,512 > xx6,355 > xx8,077 > x11,629 > x13,771 - The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK3 x1,189 > x2,605 > x4,208 > xx6,344 > xx8,279 > x10,112 > x12,564 > x12,883 - What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK3 Saturday Estimates: ¥390-400 million ($3.5 million) / 300,000-320,000 admissions - Assassination Classroom 2 (Toho) NEW ¥190-200 million ($1.7 million) / 120,000-130,000 admissions - Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW ¥110-120 million ($1.0 million) / 95,000-105,000 admissions - Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 ¥65-75 million ($620,000) / 55,000-60,000 admissions - Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW

Corpse Weekend Forecast (03/26-27)/2016年03月26日-2016年03月27日 01 (--) ¥600,000,000 ($5.3 million), 0, ¥850,000,000 ($7.5 million), Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation (Toho) NEW 02 (--) ¥350,000,000 ($3.1 million), 0, ¥480,000,000 ($4.2 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Bros.) NEW 03 (01) ¥303,000,000 ($2.7 million), -24%, ¥2,570,000,000 ($22.6 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK4 04 (--) ¥225,000,000 ($2.0 million), 0, ¥225,000,000 ($2.0 million), Kamen Rider 1 (Toei) NEW 05 (02) ¥146,000,000 ($1.3 million), -34%, ¥665,000,000 ($5.9 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) WK2 06 (03) ¥144,000,000 ($1.3 million), -27%, ¥1,000,000,000 ($8.9 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK2 07 (04) ¥116,000,000 ($1.1 million), -35%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.9 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) WK2 08 (05) ¥101,000,000 ($895,000, -31%, ¥870,000,000 ($7.7 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK3 09 (07) ¥87,000,000 ($770,000), -30%, ¥890,000,000 ($7.9 million), What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK2 10 (06) ¥79,000,000 ($705,000), -41%, ¥325,000,000 ($2.9 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) WK2 We're in store for quite the major weekend; easily the biggest of 2016 so far. >Assassination Classroom 2: Graduation has sold over 92,000 tickets in pre-sales at just the usual locations alone (two-third of the overall market) for Saturday. About 30% of its available Saturday admissions are already sold. That's enormous, and while it's inflated by stage greetings, it's the most pre-sales for any film since The Force Awakens (139,000) and Yo-Kai Watch 2 (117,000), and also outpaces every other 2015 release. However, as I mentioned, its pre-sale figure is being boosted by stage greetings, so it won't see the same growth throughout the weekend as other big pre-sellers; and it'll likely see a sizable decline on Sunday. As a result, its opening should come in closer to ¥500 million than ¥1 billion that the pre-sales would normally indicate. >Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is going to have to settle for a distant second place. Its pre-sales are only at 48% of those of Avengers: Age of Ultron's, and behind those of The Amazing Spider-Man's by 9%. However, this isn't all bad news. If the film would continue to trail both films by similar margins through the weekend, it'll still come in above ¥350 million; and if it opens above ¥372 million, it'll achieve the biggest opening weekend for a DC film by besting The Dark Knight Rises. >Kamen Rider 1 doesn't seem to be benefiting from being the 45th anniversary commemoration franchise film. So far, its pre-sales and morning/afternoon ticket sales are inline with other recent Kamen Rider releases, so expect it to debut between ¥200-250 million.

Corpse Weekend Estimates (03/19-20)/2016年03月19日-2016年03月20日 01 (01) ¥407,000,000 ($3.7 million), -16%, ¥1,810,000,000 ($15.8 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK3 02 (--) ¥200,000,000 ($1.8 million), 0, ¥200,000,000 ($1.8 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) NEW 03 (02) ¥196,000,000 ($1.7 million), -17%, ¥585,000,000 ($5.2 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK2 04 (--) ¥170,000,000 ($1.5 million), 0, ¥170,000,000 ($1.5 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) NEW 05 (03) ¥142,000,000 ($1.3 million), -32%, ¥560,000,000 ($5.0 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK2 06 (--) ¥135,000,000 ($1.2 million), 0, ¥135,000,000 ($1.2 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) NEW 07 (04) ¥116,000,000 ($1.0 million), -33%, ¥540,000,000 ($4.9 million), What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK2 08 (05) ¥64,000,000 ($572,000), -34%, ¥850,000,000 ($7.6 million), The Black Devil and the White Prince (Showgate) WK4 09 (06) ¥56,000,000 ($503,000), -32%, ¥3,395,000,000 ($29.9 million), The Martian (Fox) WK7 10 (07) ¥49,000,000 ($435,000), -30%, ¥440,000,000 ($3.9 million), The Big Short (Toho-Towa) WK3 >Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan secures a third-consecutive week atop the box office with possibly another weekend above ¥400 million based on estimates; if accurate, it will achieve the highest-third weekend in the series. Its three week total is also outpacing last year's film by about 3%, based on estimates, and if that's true (or improved upon) tomorrow, it may end up becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise as well. Its biggest week, Spring Break, is still ahead, too. >The Town Where Only I Am Missing appears to have achieved a second place debut, though it and The Good Dinosaur (thanks to a great second weekend hold) are very close based on estimates. It's possible they'll share second place victories; one coming out on top in gross, while the other ends up with more admissions. Either way, second or third place, it's a solid start and another domestic success for Warner Bros. in the market. >Chihayafuru - Part 1 comes in with a rather disappointing debut. Unless its avg. ticket price comes in unusually high, very doubtful, it failed to open to ¥200 million. Legs will be good enough to allow for a ¥1 billion+ total, but this should have performed better. >Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! sold nearly the same number of tickets at the usual locations as last Spring's release (less than 2,000 admission difference), but edged it out by a 2% margin. The series continues to be down quite a bit from its peak a few years ago, though it's been very consistent in the past year.

Corpse Usual Locations - Saturday Admissions (Two-Thirds of Overall Market) [03/19] TW (LW) Admissions (% change), [Theaters/Showings], Film (Dis.) Week of Release 01 (01) 81,223 (-19%), [232/1,169], Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK3 02 (--) 46,202 (---), [231/1,228], The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) NEW 03 (--) 42,439 (---), [218/1,265], Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) NEW 04 (02) 40,111 (-22%), [232/1,260], The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK2 05 (--) 32,739 (---), [157/764], Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) NEW 06 (03) 29,256 (-36%), [223/1,109], The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK2 07 (04) 24,996 (-35%), [220/985], What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK2 08 (05) 17,184 (-34%), [137/422], The Black Devil and the White Prince (Showgate) WK4 09 (06) 10,053 (-38%), [223/402], The Martian (Fox) WK7 10 (07) 9,256 (-38%), [162/421], The Big Short (Toho-Towa) WK3 11 (--) 7,851 (---), [52/249], The Danish Girl (Toho-Towa) NEW 12 (09) 7,689 (-42%), [95/427], PriPara Everyone's Longing Let's Go PriPari (Avex Pictures) WK2 13 (12) 7,287 (-07%), [152/223], Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK14 14 (05) 6,550 (-36%), [215/384], Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK9 15 (--) 5,820 (---), [29/29], Love Live! μ's Fan Meeting in Taipei (Live-Broadcast) NEW 16 (08) 5,818 (-58%), [8/52], Digimon Adventure tri. Chapter 2 (Toei) WK2 17 (11) 4,832 (-52%), [42/153], Ultraman X the Movie: Here Comes! Our Ultraman (Shochiku Media Division) WK2 18 (13) 4,686 (-26%), [104/275], Shimajiro and the Picture Book Country (Toho Video Division) WK2 19 (14) 4,445 (-14%), [22/64], Girls und Panzer: The Movie (Showgate) WK18 20 (15) 4,213 (-03%), [32/74], King of Prism by Pretty Rhythm (Avex Pictutes) WK9 21 (--) 2,509 (---), [16/66], Mr. Holmes (Gaga) NEW 22 (25) 2,004 (-08%), [21/32], Classmates (Aniplex) WK5 23 (21) 1,987 (-36%), [224/239], Point Break (Warner Bros.) WK4 24 (19) 1,890 (-47%), [72/90], The Hateful Eight (Gaga) WK3 25 (17) 1,813 (-52%), [226/285], The Finest Hours (Disney) WK5 >Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan has no problem fending off another group of openers once again, and has set itself up to deliver an excellent third-consecutive week atop the box office of perhaps another ¥400 million. >The Town Where Only I Am Missing overtook Chihayafuru - Part 1 into the evening, and might be able to manage a second place debut this weekend. The latter should have a strong Sunday, if it follows past films in the genre, so I'd still give it the slight edge of coming in second place. Either way, a very close race to see which one earns silver this weekend; both targeting a ¥200 million opening. >The Good Dinosaur held better than yesterday's pre-sales and early ticket sales were suggesting, but it's opening weekend was so disappointing, that it's hard to find a good -20/25% second weekend decline as impressive. >Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! mirrored last Spring's release, up a single percent at the usual locations above. >The Danish Girl had an encouraging start. It reached 21% capacity at the locations above, which is pretty good. It'll fall shy of the Top 10 since it's a limited release (and 78% of its locations are represented for above), but it's on target for a solid debut of ¥25-30 million ($225,000-$275,000) on 67 screens.

Corpse Weekend Forecast (03/19-20)/2016年03月19日-2016年03月20日 01 (01) ¥344,000,000 ($3.1 million), -29%, ¥1,750,000,000 ($15.3 million), Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan (Toho) WK3 02 (--) ¥225,000,000 ($2.0 million), 0, ¥225,000,000 ($2.0 million), Chihayafuru - Part 1 (Toho) NEW 03 (--) ¥170,000,000 ($1.5 million), 0, ¥170,000,000 ($1.5 million), The Town Where Only I Am Missing (Warner Bros.) NEW 04 (02) ¥145,000,000 ($1.3 million), -39%, ¥535,000,000 ($4.8 million), The Good Dinosaur (Disney) WK2 05 (--) ¥135,000,000 ($1.2 million), 0, ¥135,000,000 ($1.2 million), Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! (Toei) NEW 06 (03) ¥132,000,000 ($1.2 million), -37%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.9 million), The Summit of the Gods (Toho) WK2 07 (04) ¥104,000,000 ($930,000), -40%, ¥530,000,000 ($4.8 million), What a Wonderful Family (Shochiku) WK2 08 (05) ¥69,000,000 ($625,000), -28%, ¥855,000,000 ($7.6 million), The Black Devil and the White Prince (Showgate) WK4 09 (06) ¥49,000,000 ($435,000), -41%, ¥3,390,000,000 ($29.8 million), The Martian (Fox) WK7 10 (07) ¥42,000,000 ($370,000), -40%, ¥430,000,000 ($3.8 million), The Big Short (Toho-Towa) WK3 >Doraemon is very likely to maintain its #1 position; achieving its third-consecutive week atop the box office. Its pre-sales are outpacing all the openers quite comfortably, and its morning/afternoon ticket sales are looking good once again. >Chihayafuru - Part 1 doesn't appear to be faring too well at the moment. Its pre-sales are somewhat mediocre, as are its morning/afternoon ticket sales. However, it's likely to pick up in the evening and should play well on Sunday, so the early ticket sales could be a bit deceiving. I don't really see it opening much higher than ¥200 million, though, so it won't be a threat to Doraemon. >The Town Where Only I Am Missing is performing as expected thus far, so a debut around ¥150 million remains the goal. As long as it opens very close to that number, or exceeds it, it shouldn't have any trouble eventually reaching the ¥1 billion milestone with the benefit of Spring Break. >Precure All Stars: Sung by Everyone♪ Miracle Magic! should debut with a similar result as the past few films in the series. This franchise has dropped off from its peak two/three years ago, and has settled with consistent opening weekends ever since. As for the holdovers, pre-sales are noticeably down compared to last week. This is the weekend before Spring Break and it is known for poor holds (as most pre-holiday weekends are), so it wouldn't be surprising to see some 40% declines. Sunday, however, is likely to be much stronger than last week, so we'll see if it's able to counter what's shaping up to be a rough Saturday.

Corpse Re: Japan Box Office: Weekend Estimates (02/27-28) (C) 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved Weekend Estimates (02/27-28)/2016年02月27日-2016年02月28日 01 (01) ¥204,000,000 ($1.79 million), -28%, ¥2,710,000,000 ($23.7 million), The Martian (Fox) WK4 02 (--) ¥155,000,000 ($1.35 million), 0, ¥155,000,000 ($1.35 million), The Black Devil and the White Prince (Showgate) NEW 03 (02) ¥137,000,000 ($1.20 million), -32%, ¥3,960,000,000 ($34.1 million), Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK6 04 (--) ¥85,000,000 ($745,000), 0, ¥85,000,000 ($745,000), The Finest Hours (Disney) NEW 05 (06) ¥81,000,000 ($710,000), +15%, ¥530,000,000 ($4.8 million), Born in the EXILE (Toho Video Division) WK3 06 (04) ¥70,000,000 ($615,000), -33%, ¥11,200,000,000 ($92.8 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK11 07 (03) ¥69,000,000 ($610,000), -52%, ¥330,000,000 ($2.9 million), Point Break (Warner Bros.) WK2 08 (08) ¥57,000,000 ($500,000), -03%, ¥1,325,000,000 ($11.3 million), Girls und Panzer: The Movie (Showgate) WK15 09 (05) ¥51,000,000 ($450,000), -40%, ¥1,400,000,000 ($11.8 million), Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye (Toei) WK5 10 (--) ¥40,000,000 ($350,000), 0, ¥40,000,000 ($350,000), The Hateful Eight (Gaga) NEW >The Martian claims its fourth-consecutive week atop the box office, though The Black Devil and the White Prince came within striking distance in terms of admissions (possibly a <10,000 difference). But even if the latter had/does end up with a narrow victory in admissions (a very slim chance), the former's avg. ticket price has been very high that it'd still win the weekend in terms of gross. >The Finest Hours has a rather mediocre debut, but considering how it's performed elsewhere around the world, this figure is okay. And its weekend ticket sales pattern suggests it's skewing older, so its weekday business should be strong. If it can hang onto enough screens against the upcoming onslaught of major Spring releases, Japan could end up being its best international market (so far). >Star Wars: The Force Awakens appears to have fended off Point Break (which experienced an awful second weekend hold) over the weekend, which would have given it an eleventh-consecutive week in the Top 5, however... Born in the EXILE decided to increase which spoiled any chance The Force Awakens had of remaining in the Top 5. Still, it continues to perform extraordinarily well. It's pretty much achieved all that it was expected to, or could do, at this point, so the remaining earnings are just bonus. >The Hateful Eight looks to have cracked the Top 10 in barely wide release (119 screens), though Sherlock: The Abominable Bride's second weekend is very close based on my estimates. It'll probably come down to the avg. ticket prices to determine which one will be in the Top 10, though I believe The Hateful Eight has the advantage.

Corpse Weekend Actuals (02/13-14)/2016年02月13日-2016年02月14日 01 (01) ¥406,983,300 ($3.6 million), -18%, ¥1,641,976,500 ($14.3 million), The Martian (Fox) WK2 02 (02) ¥283,385,300 ($2.5 million), -29%, ¥3,266,989,200 ($28.0 million), Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK4 03 (04) ¥138,608,000 ($1.2 million), -16%, ¥10,830,000,000 ($89.6 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK9 04 (03) ¥126,281,200 ($1.1 million), -30%, ¥1,082,327,300 ($9.0 million), Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye (Toei) WK3 05 (--) ¥101,106,100 ($895,000), 0, ¥198,006,900 ($1.8 million), Born in the EXILE (Toho Video Division) NEW 06 (05) ¥39,780,000 ($352,000), -32%, ¥376,491,700 ($2.2 million), The Inerasable (Shochiku) WK3 07 (06) ¥33,018,300 ($292,000), -37%, ¥389,045,200 (2.3 million), Black Mass (Warner Bros.) WK3 08 (07) ¥32,078,100 ($284,000), -31%, ¥5,363,351,100 ($45.2 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories (Toho) WK9 09 (09) ¥30,037,000 ($266,000), -30%, ¥636,038,200 ($5.6 million), Paddington (Kino Films) WK5 10 (--) ¥24,944,700 ($221,000), 0, ¥52,481,400 ($464,000), Carol (Phantom Film) NEW >The Martian retains its position atop the box office, dropping sub-20% in weekend gross and just 16% in weekend admissions, selling 277,427 tickets in its second weekend. Don't look for this one to relinquish its hold on the #1 spot until March. After two weeks in release, Ridley Scott's latest has exceeded the 1 million admissions mark, selling 1,012,884 admissions after ten days in release. Strong legs, given the reception and poor competition this month, were very likely, but now they're pretty much assured after its second week figures. The Martian will exceed the ¥3 billion ($25 million+) hit milestone and 2 million admissions quite effortlessly, and expect it to finish closer to ¥3.5 billion ($30 million+) with 2.2/2.3 million admissions. >Nobunaga Concerto continues to hold strong in second place, down less than 30% in its fourth weekend, selling a further 221,760 tickets over the weekend. And after four weeks in release, the live-action adaptation of the historical time-travel manga has already broke through the ¥3 billion hit milestone, and has exceeded 2.5 million admissions. If its chances of reaching the ¥4 billion mark was in question, it's probably not anymore. Nobunaga Concerto is very likely to exceed ¥4 billion ($35 million) now, and is on course to reach 3.2/3.3 million admissions. It's pretty rare for a January release to be having this type of box-office performance. >Star Wars: The Force Awakens rises one spot and is back in the top 3 for its ninth weekend in release. After 59 days in release, it has almost reached 7 million admissions, and has broke into the Top 25 (#24) highest-grossing films of all-time. >Born in the EXILE, a documentary highlighting the J Soul Brothers from the popular band, comes in fifth place in its debut weekend. Only playing on 150 screens, it sold a solid 76,114 admissions over the weekend frame. More impressive, however, is that since opening on Friday, it's earned nearly ¥200 million with 144,000 admissions after three days. That means Friday represented a staggering 49% of the film's three day total, so I don't expect this one to stick around for long. >Carol was the only wide opener, among many, to make the top 10. Todd Haynes's critically-acclaimed picture, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, sold 19,281 admissions over the weekend frame on just 58 screens. And since opening on fewer screens last Thursday, before expanding the next day (Friday), it's sold 41,072 admissions after four days in release. Outside the Top 10, Selector Destructed WIXOSS: The Movie managed a 12th place start, while Steve Jobs came in 13th place (selling 23,467 admissions since opening on Friday) - both in limited release.

Corpse Weekend Estimates (02/06-07)/2016年02月06日-2016年02月07日 01 (--) ¥460,000,000 ($3.9 million), 0, ¥555,000,000 ($4.8 million), The Martian (Fox) NEW 02 (01) ¥394,000,000 ($3.4 million), -35%, ¥2,490,000,000 ($21.0 million), Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK3 03 (02) ¥176,000,000 ($1.5 million), -40%, ¥700,000,000 ($5.8 million), Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye (Toei) WK2 04 (03) ¥173,000,000 ($1.5 million), -34%, ¥10,480,000,000 ($86.5 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK8 05 (05) ¥57,000,000 ($490,000), -48%, ¥265,000,000 ($2.2 million), The Inerasable (Shochiku) WK2 06 (04) ¥52,000,000 ($445,000), -54%, ¥270,000,000 (2.3 million), Black Mass (Warner Bros.) WK2 07 (06) ¥47,000,000 ($400,000), -45%, ¥5,310,000,000 ($44.7 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories (Toho) WK8 08 (07) ¥44,000,000 ($375,000), -42%, ¥550,000,000 ($4.8 million), Paddington (Kino Films) WK4 09 (--) ¥42,000,000 ($360,000), 0, ¥42,000,000 ($360,000), Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, Chapter 5 - To Beloved (Showgate) NEW 10 (08) ¥39,000,000 ($335,000), -46%, ¥270,000,000 ($2.3 million), Shuriken Sentai Ninninger/Ressha Sentai ToQger: Ninjas in Wonderland (Toei) WK3 >The Martian finally landed in Japan and certainly made its impact felt on the box-office in its debut weekend. The opening far outpaces the likes of Gravity or other recent Hollywood space-adventures (Star Wars aside...), and even ranks among the best debuts in February's history based on estimates. I can only recall two or three February openers coming in higher. I'll provide a list of February opening weekends later today. Anyway, if the estimate holds (or goes up!), The Martian is very likely to exceed ¥2.5 billion ($20 million+), and should be able to reach the ¥3 billion ($25 million+) milestone. A ¥3 billion total generally results in a Top 15 spot on the yearly chart, so that's damn impressive to achieve this early in the year. >Nobunaga Concerto holds steady, but had to relinquish its hold on the top spot in its third weekend. The breakout hit delivered the second biggest January opening weekend last month, followed by the third biggest January weekend ever in its second weekend; so to still be able to muster nearly a ¥400 million third weekend based on estimates is remarkable. Its three week total is around ¥2.5 billion already, and it's on track to finish close to the ¥4 billion (~$35 million) mark. 2016 has only recently started, but Nobunaga Concerto is a strong contender to make the Top 10 films of the year. >Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to perform well, and having already outgrossed two of the prequels in the series and becoming the second live-action film since 2010 to reach the ¥10 billion uber-blockbuster milestone; it's just adding to an already incredible total at this point. It'll finish its run just above the ¥11 billion (~$95 million) mark, making it Disney's third highest-grossing film in the market. >Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, Chapter 5 may only be a limited release (36 screens), and dropped a massive 55% on Sunday, but it still appears to have enough admissions to have debuted in the Top 10. In fact, depending on its ticket prices, it could possibly come in as high as seventh or eighth. Quite solid. _________________

Corpse Weekend Forecast (02/06-07)/2016年02月06日-2016年02月07日 01 (--) ¥425,000,000 ($3.7 million), 0, ¥525,000,000 ($4.5 million), The Martian (Fox) NEW 02 (01) ¥404,000,000 ($3.4 million), -33%, ¥2,500,000,000 ($21.1 million), Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK3 03 (02) ¥180,000,000 ($1.5 million), -38%, ¥700,000,000 ($5.8 million), Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye (Toei) WK2 04 (03) ¥171,000,000 ($1.4 million), -35%, ¥10,480,000,000 ($86.5 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK8 05 (05) ¥64,000,000 ($550,000), -42%, ¥270,000,000 ($2.3 million), The Inerasable (Shochiku) WK2 06 (04) ¥59,000,000 ($505,000), -48%, ¥270,000,000 (2.3 million), Black Mass (Warner Bros.) WK2 07 (06) ¥51,000,000 ($435,000), -40%, ¥5,310,000,000 ($44.7 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories (Toho) WK8 08 (07) ¥50,000,000 ($430,000), -33%, ¥555,000,000 ($4.8 million), Paddington (Kino Films) WK4 09 (08) ¥41,000,000 ($345,000), -44%, ¥270,000,000 ($2.3 million), Shuriken Sentai Ninninger/Ressha Sentai ToQger: Ninjas in Wonderland (Toei) WK3 10 (09) ¥35,000,000 ($300,000), -39%, ¥420,000,000 ($3.6 million), Les Saisons (Gaga) WK4 This weekend is a bit challenging to predict because of last weekend's incredible holds across the board. I'm going with some pretty big drops for most films given their holds last weekend, and the sizable decline in pre-sales and Saturday morning/afternoon sales compared to last week. The Martian has some very nice pre-sales and morning/afternoon ticket sales, and should be a film that plays well into the evening as well. It's outpacing Nobunaga Concerto by enough that it's likely to debut atop the box office, and appears strong enough to perhaps exceed ¥400 million over the weekend as well. And based on this projected debut The Martian should have little trouble exceeding the ¥2 billion milestone, and I wouldn't rule out a total closer to ¥2.5 billion ($20 million+) or more. The rest of February is very weak, so with good reviews and poor competition, legs should be strong. After checking its box-office on BOM, Japan could deliver enough to push it over $400 million overseas.

Corpse As mentioned in the weekend actuals write-up, Star Wars: The Force Awakens exceeded the ¥10 billion uber-blockbuster milestone on Sunday, its 45th day in release. It's the first live-action film since 2010's Alice in Wonderland to achieve this milestone. Also, this makes it the eleventh fastest reported film to reach the milestone (sixth for a live-action film), and even more impressively, it's done so two days sooner than The Phantom Menace. It's unlikely to have the late-legs that Episode I had to outgross it, but it still has quite a bit left in the starship engine. Fastest to ¥10 billion (60 Days or Less) 25 - Spirited Away (2001) 28 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) 30 - Bayside Shakedown: Save the Rainbow Bridge (2003) 31 - Ponyo (2008) 33 - Howl's Moving Castle (2004) 35 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 37 - Frozen (2014) 37 - Alice in Wonderland (2010) 43 - Princess Mononoke (1997) 44 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 45 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 47 - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) 50 - Avatar (2009) 52 - Toy Story 3 (2010) 52 - Finding Nemo (2003) 52 - The Last Samurai (2003) 53 - The Wind Rises (2013) 53 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) 53 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 57 - The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Corpse Weekend Actuals (01/30-31)/2016年01月30日-2016年01月31日 01 (01) ¥604,122,100 ($5.03 million), -02%, ¥1,735,310,200 ($14.6 million), Nobunaga Concerto (Toho) WK2 02 (--) ¥291,191,700 ($2.43 million), 0, ¥291,191,700 ($2.43 million), Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye (Toei) NEW 03 (02) ¥252,351,600 ($2.10 million), -04%, ¥10,103,147,400 ($83.4 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney) WK7 04 (--) ¥113,505,000 ($945,000), 0, ¥113,505,000 ($945,000), Black Mass (Warner Bros.) NEW 05 (--) ¥110,637,600 ($921,000), 0, ¥110,637,600 ($921,000), The Inerasable (Shochiku) NEW 06 (04) ¥84,520,000 ($703,000), -11%, ¥5,239,326,700 ($44.1 million), Yo-Kai Watch: Great King Enma and the 5 Stories (Toho) WK7 07 (05) ¥75,102,900 ($625,000), -17%, ¥464,037,300 ($4.0 million), Paddington (Kino Films) WK3 08 (03) ¥72,304,400 ($602,000), -32%, ¥206,968,700 ($2.0 million), Shuriken Sentai Ninninger/Ressha Sentai ToQger: Ninja in Wonderland (Toei) WK2 09 (07) ¥57,578,100 ($479,000), -18%, ¥361,975,600 ($3.1 million), Les Saisons (Gaga) WK3 10 (08) ¥47,815,500 ($398,000), -21%, ¥3,038,291,900 ($25.3 million), Orange (Toho) WK8 >Nobunaga Concerto remains atop the box-office in its second weekend, and has done so in incredible fashion. The historical time-twist tale remained nearly flat with its opening weekend (the second highest ever in the month of January), selling 461,321 admissions, and delivered the third biggest overall weekend in January in its second frame. Quite stunning, and that's without any holiday support. And with weekdays that almost matched its weekend earnings as well, its two-week total is more than high enough to lock up ¥3 billion ($25 million+), and the chances of actually exceeding ¥4 billion (~$35 million) has gone way up. It's quite rare for a January release to earn this much, but here we are. >Saraba Abunai Deka: Long Goodbye got off to a good, surprisingly so, start by nearly opening to ¥300 million. The Hiroshi Tachi and the Kyohei Shibata lead adaptation of the hit 1980s detective drama sold an impressive 217,273 tickets on 252 screens, giving Toei their best non-Kamen Rider debut for a live-action film since 2011. Saraba Abunai Deka should be good for a gross of ¥2 billion ($16-18 million), which while not as impressive as Nobunaga Concerto's performance, is still quite good for this time of year. >Star Wars: The Force Awakens falls to third place, but having barely dropped in its second weekend, is still grossing very impressive numbers. And most importantly, it has exceeded the uber-blockbuster milestone of ¥10 billion after its 45th day in release, making it only the second live-action film since 2010 to achieve this milestone. Also, since its still bringing in very favorable numbers, it's probably safe to project it'll exceed ¥11 billion ($90-95 million) now as well. Major achievement for Disney, and it's unlikely any film this year surpass it. >Black Mass debuts in fourth place, selling 86,195 admissions across 265 screens over the weekend. The opening is on par with that of Transcendence, but 22% behind that of last year's Mordecai. Johnny Depp is the only reason these films are opening above ¥100 million, but this debut is still a bit disappointing considering Warner Bros. is much larger distribution company than Pony Canyon or Kadokawa. >The Inerasable settled for fifth place but having also opening above ¥100 million, its debut is also decent, especially for a horror film. Based on Fuyumi Ono's mystery novel, the film adaptation sold 82,182 tickets on 221 screens. Not bad.