The Japanese box office welcomed another major anime release last weekend as the newest Crayon Shin-chan movie debuted at No. 3, joining a competitive lineup led by the continued success of Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island.
The latest rankings show several anime and live-action franchises maintaining strong momentum during Japan’s busy summer movie season.
While Crayon Shin-chan delivered a healthy opening, Chiikawa continued to dominate theaters in its second weekend, and the fifth live-action Kingdom film added another milestone to its growing box office total.
Crayon Shin-chan Opens With Strong First Weekend
The 33rd theatrical 2D installment, Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Strange! My Yōkai Monster Vacation, premiered in Japan on July 31 and opened in third place. The film sold approximately 441,000 tickets and generated 539.3 million yen (around US$3.4 million) during its first three days.
The new adventure takes the Nohara family to Akita for a famous summer fireworks festival. Their vacation quickly turns into a supernatural journey after mysterious yōkai escape into the human world, forcing Shin-chan and his family to travel into the land of spirits to prevent chaos from spreading across Japan.
Directed by Masaki Watanabe, with a screenplay by Yoshiko Nakamura, the film features returning franchise voice actors alongside guest performers including Sairi Itō. Production was handled by Shinei Animation, TV Asahi, ADK Emotions, and Futabasha, while TOHO is distributing the film across Japan.
Although it slipped from first to second place, Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu (Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island) continued its impressive theatrical run.
The anime earned 1.07 billion yen (approximately US$6.8 million) during its second weekend after selling 766,000 tickets. Since opening on July 24, the film has sold more than 3.05 million tickets and accumulated over 4.4 billion yen (roughly US$27.9 million) at the Japanese box office.
Based on Nagano’s popular “Siren Arc” manga storyline, the film follows Chiikawa, Hachiware, and their friends after they receive an invitation to a mysterious island promising generous rewards and exclusive food. Their seemingly relaxing trip soon develops into an unexpected fantasy adventure.
Nagano supervised the project, wrote the screenplay, and created the original story, while Kei Oikawa directed the film for Cygames Pictures.
Kingdom Continues Its Successful Theatrical Run
The fifth live-action adaptation, Kingdom: Decisive Battle of the Soul, also remained among Japan’s top-performing films despite slipping to fifth place in its third weekend.
The historical epic earned another 452.5 million yen (approximately US$2.86 million) over the weekend, bringing its cumulative earnings to more than 4.3 billion yen (US$27.2 million) from 2.77 million admissions.
Directed once again by Shinsuke Satō, the latest installment continues adapting Yasuhisa Hara’s bestselling manga, chronicling Xin’s journey to become one of Qin’s greatest military commanders during China’s Warring States period.
The Kingdom live-action franchise has become one of Japan’s most successful manga adaptations, with previous entries consistently delivering billion-yen box office performances and expanding the series’ international audience through theatrical releases and streaming platforms.
With Chiikawa, Crayon Shin-chan, and Kingdom all drawing strong audiences, Japan’s summer box office continues to be driven by established anime and manga franchises that remain popular across multiple generations.
