2nd Sumikko Gurashi Film Stays at #1, Mogura no Uta Final Opens at #3

Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahō no Ko (The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night), the second film in San-X's Sumikko Gurashi franchise, stayed at #1 in its third weekend. The film sold 100,000 tickets over the weekend, and earned 123,095,350 yen (about US$1.06 million) from Friday to Sunday. It has sold a total of 520,000 tickets, and earned a cumulative total of 640,703,590 yen (about US$5.56 million).

The film opened in Japan on November 5, and sold about 200,000 tickets to earn about 250 million yen (about US$2.22 million) in its first three days.

Takahiro Ōmori (Durarara!!, Natsume's Book of Friends, Princess Jellyfish) directed the film. Reiko Yoshida (Violet Evergarden, Lu over the wall, K-ON!) penned the script, and Kaori Hino (Modest Heroes, Napping Princess) returned from the first film as the art director. Fanworks returned to animate the film, and ASMIK Ace is distributing.

In the film's story, the main characters go on a camping trip one day in the fall, and that night they recall a legend: that once every five years, on the night of a large and blue full moon, magical creatures will visit the town. The characters look up, only to see a large and blue moon overhead.

Sumikko Gurashi debuted in 2012 as slightly negative characters who like to stay in the corner of a room. The characters include "Shirokuma," a polar bear who is sensitive to cold; "Penguin?" (with a question mark in its name), a penguin who is unsure if it is actually a penguin; "Tonkatsu," a piece of pork cutlet that was left uneaten; "Neko," a shy cat; and "Tokage," who hides his nature as one of the last dinosaurs.

Mogura no Uta Final, the newest live-action film based on Noboru Takahashi's Mogura no Uta manga, ranked at #3 in its opening weekend.

The film opened in Japan on November 19. The story revolves around Reiji Kikukawa, a police officer who goes undercover to infilitrate a gangster syndicate.

Mogura no Uta: Senyū Sōsakan Reiji, the first live-action film based on Mogura no Uta, opened in February 2014. Mogura no Uta: Hong Kong Kyōsōkyoku, the second film, opened in December 2016.

Takahashi launched Mogura no Uta in Shogakukan's Weekly Young Sunday magazine in 2005, but he moved the manga to Weekly Big Comic Spirits after Weekly Young Sunday ceased publication in 2008. Shogakukan published the 74th compiled book volume on November 12.

The live action film adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga's What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Kinō Nani Tabeta?) manga stayed at #5 in its third weekend. The film earned 74,506,250 yen (about US$647,200) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 929,194,350 yen (about US$8.07 million).

The film premiered in Japan on November 3, and sold 100,000 tickets to earn about 145 million yen (about US$1.28 million) from November 6-7.

Seiyō Uchino and Hideotshi Nishijima reprised their roles from the manga's live-action television series adaptation as Kenji Yabuki and Shirō Kakei, respectively. Kazuhito Nakae and Naoko Adachi also returned from the live-action series as director and scriptwriter, respectively. Other cast members including Kōji Yamamoto, Hayato Isomura, Makita Sports, Misako Tanaka, and Meiko Kaji returned as their characters Daisaku Kohinata, Wataru Inoue, Hiroshi Miyake, Kayoko Tominaga, and Hisae Kakei, respectively.

The manga centers on a hard-working middle-aged gay couple in Tokyo and the food they share together at the dinner table.

The Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night anime film dropped from #4 to #6 in its fourth weekend. The film earned 71,449,460 yen (about US$620,700) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,095,251,413 yen (about US$9.51 million).

The first Progressive movie opened in Japan on October 30 in standard and IMAX theaters, and topped the box office in its first weekend.

Funimation will present the film in both standard and IMAX theaters in the United States and Canada on December 3 and in Australia and New Zealand on December 9. The movie will also screen soon in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latin America. The film will open in over 40 countries and territories around the world. Odex will screen the film in Southeast Asia this year.

Ayako Kohno (unit director on Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic, High School Fleet, The Seven Deadly Sins the Movie: Prisoners of the Sky) directed the film at A-1 Pictures, and Kento Toya (Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld, The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments) designed the characters. Yasuyuki Kai served as action director, and Yuki Kajiura returned to compose the music.

A new film titled Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Kuraki Yūyami no Scherzo (Scherzo of a Dark Dusk) will open in 2022.

Eiga Tropical-Rouge! Precure: Yuki no Princess to Kiseki no Yubiwa! (Tropical-Rouge! Precure the Movie: The Snow Princess and the Miraculous Ring), the new anime film for the Tropical-Rouge! Precure anime, dropped from #7 to #8 in its fifth weekend. The film earned 23,721,710 yen (about US$206,000) from Friday to Sunday The film has sold a total of 430,000 tickets, and has earned a cumulative total of 525,000,020 yen (about US$4.56 million).

The film ranked at #1 in its opening weekend, earning 169,625,170 yen (about US$1.48 million) and selling about 141,000 tickets in its first two days.

The film opened in Japan on October 23.

The film takes place in the wintry land of Shantia, with Manatsu and the others invitied to the land by its princess Sharon. But as they arrive, a mysterious monster attacks Shantia, and it is closed off to outsiders.

Junji Shimizu (Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart) directed the film, and Yoshimi Narita (Yes! Precure 5) penned the script. Shiho Terada returned from Tropical-Rouge! Precure to compose the music. Ken Ueno (Heartcatch Precure! Hana no Miyako de Fashion Show…Desu ka!?) was the character designer and chief animation director. Takashi Kurahashi was the art director, and Naomi Kiyota was the color designer. Yusuke Osone was the CGI director. Kenji Takahashi was the director of photography. Masahiro Murakami is credited as production manager. The film's theme song is titled "Shantia ~Shiawase no Kuni~" (Shantia ~Land of Happiness~).

The theatrical screening of the final three episodes of the Sōkyū no Fafner THE BEYOND anime rose from #2 to #1 in the mini-theater ranking in its third weekend.

Kōkaku Kidōtai SAC_2045 Jizoku Kanō Sensō (Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Sustainable Warfare), the compilation film of the Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 anime's first season, dropped from #1 to #2 in the mini-theater rankings in its second weekend.

"Summer Ghost," the anime directorial debut of illustrator loundraw (I want to eat your pancreas, Josee, The Tiger and the Fish, Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-), dropped from #3 to #4 in the mini-theater rankings in its second weekend.