The Japanese box office has witnessed a shake-up this past weekend, with the latest Gundam film taking the lead, while a new Hatsune Miku movie makes a notable entrance. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- has claimed the number one position, pushing other contenders down the ranks, while COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has secured a strong second place debut.
Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- Takes Flight
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, a theatrical re-edit of the first four episodes of the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX television anime, has dominated the box office in its opening weekend. The film sold a staggering 352,500 tickets, earning 599 million yen (approximately $3.85 million USD). This strong opening demonstrates the enduring popularity of the Gundam franchise in Japan and anticipation for the new series.
The story of Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- centers on Amate Yuzuriha, a high school student living in a space colony who becomes involved in the world of illegal mobile suit dueling, known as Clan Battle. She pilots the GQuuuuuuX under the name “Machu” and meets a war refugee named Nyaan, and then encounters an unidentified Gundam and its pilot. The film features the voices of Tomoyo Kurosawa as Amate Yuzuriha, Yui Ishikawa as Nyaan, and Shimba Tsuchiya as Shūji Itō. The series is directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki with scripts supervised and co-written by Yōji Enokido and Hideaki Anno, both highly regarded names in the anime industry. Character designs are by Take, and mechanical designs are by Ikuto Yamashita.
A Strong Opening for the Gundam Franchise
The success of Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- is a testament to the franchise’s enduring appeal. The film’s impressive opening weekend sales demonstrate that the Gundam series continues to resonate with Japanese audiences. This strong performance is particularly notable given that the film is a compilation of existing material, rather than an entirely original story. The film’s strong debut indicates a healthy anticipation for the television series.
COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Debuts at Number Two
Not far behind, COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing, a film based on the Project Sekai: Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku smartphone game, made a solid debut, securing the second position at the box office. The movie sold 232,500 tickets and earned 307 million yen (about $1.97 million USD) in its opening weekend.
This film, a collaboration between Colorful Palette and Sega, explores a different aspect of the popular virtual singer, Hatsune Miku. In this story, Miku finds herself in a broken world, unable to sing. The film is getting a global release, indicating its broad appeal and the global popularity of Hatsune Miku.
A Promising Start for Miku
The second-place debut for COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is a solid start. The film has quickly garnered attention, attracting over 230,000 viewers in Japan. Despite the difference in the number of screens allocated to Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- the Miku movie performed well, even leading in per-screen revenue. This suggests a high level of interest from fans of the franchise. However, the movie’s initial performance may be influenced by the demand for special edition merchandise and resales.
2024 Box Office Overview: Local Productions Dominate
The performance of these two films reflects a broader trend in the Japanese box office in 2024. Domestic films, particularly anime features, have dominated the charts. In 2024, eight of the top ten highest-grossing films were produced domestically, with only two US films, Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4, making the list. No live-action features from outside of Japan reached the top 10, highlighting the strength of Japanese cinema.
The year’s top-grossing film was Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram, which earned $102 million (¥15.7 billion). Other high-grossing anime films include Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which earned $74.9 million (¥11.5 billion), and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom which made $34.5 million (¥5.3 billion). These performances demonstrate the sustained popularity of anime in Japan, with animated features consistently outperforming live-action releases, including those from Hollywood.
Key Highlights of the 2024 Box Office
- Anime Dominance: Japanese anime films have consistently topped the box office charts.
- Local Success: Domestic productions have significantly outperformed foreign live-action films.
- Franchise Power: Established franchises like Detective Conan, Gundam, and Haikyu!! continue to draw large audiences.
- Limited Hollywood Impact: Only a few Hollywood animated films have managed to break into the top 10, and no live action.
Looking Ahead
As 2025 gets underway, the strong opening for both Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- and COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing suggests that the trend of domestic animated films dominating the box office will continue. The performances of these films will likely have a ripple effect on the anime industry, and it will be interesting to see how their box office journey unfolds, especially given the strong start and anticipation for new episodes of Gundam GQuuuuuuX later this year.
