A Live-Action Anime Film Has Taken Over Japan’s Box Office
Live-action anime films are becoming a running trend these days, with the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam and Naruto remaining two major examples of how Hollywood is looking to anime for new franchises. While the West is jumping at the chance to recreate anime universes in the “real world,” Japan is an old hat at taking established franchises and making live-action films. In the past, series such as Tokyo Revengers, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Cells at Work, and countless others have received various adaptations, though one franchise has hit a major milestone. With five films to its name, the story of Kingdom has once again risen to the top.
For its opening weekend, Kingdom: Decisive Battle of the Soul came in at number one at the box office. Selling almost one million tickets in Japan (993,000 to be exact), the film brought in around $9.67 million USD last weekend. The movie topped the charts from July 17th to the 19th, pulling in even more last Monday thanks to it being “Marine Day” in Japan, aka a national holiday. With this additional day, the movie would make $12.59 million USD for the long weekend, selling over 1.3 million tickets. While Kingdom hasn’t become as big an anime property in the West as it has in Japan, it seems that the latest live-action film might not need North America to be a success.
The Kingdom of Kingdom
For those who might not be familiar with Kingdom, the manga first began in 2006 from creator Yasuhisa Hara and has continued to release new chapters ever since. The tale follows the life of Li Xin, a protagonist who finds himself dragged into a war that recreates China’s “Warring States” period. While the series does revisit real-world events, it adds a major anime flair to the battles that took place hundreds of years ago, joining the likes of Vinland Saga and Golden Kamuy. As of the writing of this article, there has yet to be confirmation that a seventh season of the anime will arrive, though it seems like a safe bet considering how popular the franchise has been.
The first Kingdom movie landed in 2019, opening the floodgates for more live-action entries under the franchise’s banner. While these films do make their way to North America, normally thanks to streaming services, they have not received the same theatrical runs that Japan has been known for. With the profits seen by this latest entry, this might change, and it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if an eventual sixth movie is confirmed to capitalize on the historical anime franchise.
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