The R15+ version of The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe (known as Kitaro Tanjou: GeGeGe no Nazo in Japan), subtitled Shinsei-ban (“Genuine edition”), earned 71,939,840 yen (482,100 USD) on 41,889 admissions in its second weekend of October 11-13, according to Animate Times. The movie ranked in fifth place in the latest weekend box office ranking, down two positions from its opening weekend.To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the original GeGeGe no Kitaro manga author Shigeru Mizuki’s birth, the original version of The Birth of Kitaro was released in Japan on November 17, 2023, under the rating of PG12. The R15+ version (noted as those under 15 years of age not allowed to see), which had 327 cuts retaken and the sound re-dubbed to express “the horror story as originally envisioned by the production team,” followed on October 4, 2024.As reported on Monday, the film’s cumulative total box office gross — which combined the gross of the original and R15+ version — surpassed the three billion yen mark by October 12. Adding all weekend gross for the R15+ version’s second weekend, the film’s cumulative total gross has reached 3.07 billion yen (20.56 million USD) on 2.12 million admissions.
Wonderful Precure! The Movie! Dokidoki ♡Game no Sekai de Daibouken! (translated to “Heart-Pounding — A Great Adventure in the World of Games!”), the 33rd film in the Precure franchise stayed in the same eighth place as last weekend, according to Kogyo Tsushinsha. Fureru, a new original film created by director Tatsuyuki Nagai, screenwriter Mari Okada and character designer Masayoshi Tanaka, went down five places to tenth in its second weekend.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM, the feature film sequel from the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed franchise, has now earned a total of 5.1 billion yen (34.2 million USD) earned from 3.05 million ticket sales, according to Mantan Web.The film’s original version opened in Japan on January 26, 2024 and earned 4.82 billion yen (32.33 million USD) on 2.88 million admissions from its initial theatrical run by May 22, becoming the top-grossing film in the 45-year-old Gundam anime franchise. The first version of the film’s special edition, updated with more than 500 scenes from the original, then screened in Japanese theaters from September 20 to October 3. The second version is also set to run from November 1 to 14.
Additionally, Given The Movie: Umi e, the final installment of the given anime series, has held the number one spot in Kogyo Tsushinsha’s mini-theater ranking for four straight weekends. The 80-minute film opened in 30 theaters in Japan on September 20.
Weekend box office Top 10 in Japan (October 11-13, 2024)
(ticket sales basis with notes in parentheses marking previous week’s placement)
| Rank | Title | Weekend since Release |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (new) | Muroi Shinji: Yaburezarumono | 1 |
| 2 (new) | Joker: Folie a Deux | 1 |
| 3 (2) | Last Mile | 8 |
| 4 (1) | Civel War | 2 |
| 5 (3) | The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe: R15+ Version | 2 |
| 6 (4) | JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL | 2 |
| 7 (-) | Samurai Timeslipper | 9 |
| 8 (8) | Wonderful Precure! The Movie! | 5 |
| 9 (6) | All about Suomi | 5 |
| 10 (5) | Fureru | 2 |
Sources: Animate Times, Eiga.com, Kogyo Tsushinsha, Kogyo Tsushinsha mini theater ranking, Mantan Web©”The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe” Production Committee
