The live-action adaptation of the popular manga series, Cells at Work!, continues its impressive run at the Japanese box office, securing the number one position for the third consecutive weekend. This feat highlights the film’s strong appeal and enduring popularity among audiences in Japan. The movie’s success also demonstrates the growing trend of successful live-action anime adaptations.
Box Office Dominance
During the weekend of December 27-29, the Cells at Work! film grossed an impressive 581 million yen (approximately $3.71 million USD) from 427,000 ticket sales. This is a 9.2% increase from the previous weekend, indicating that the movie is continuing to attract audiences. The film’s total earnings since its release on December 13 have reached 2.7 billion yen ($17.2 million USD) with 2.02 million admissions, solidifying its position as a major box office success in Japan.
New Year Holiday Boost
A possible explanation for the increased revenue during this third weekend is the start of Japan’s New Year’s vacation season. Starting December 28, many businesses close for up to nine days, which gave many moviegoers the opportunity to visit the theaters and enjoy a film.
Surpassing Milestones
The film’s box office success has also led to it becoming the 10th highest-grossing Japanese film of 2024, surpassing Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary, which had previously earned 2.5 billion yen.
Film Details
The live-action Cells at Work! movie, directed by Hideki Takeuchi, premiered in Japan on December 13. The film features Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell and Takeru Satoh as White Blood Cell, bringing the beloved characters from Akane Shimizu’s manga to life. The film explores the inner workings of the human body, portraying the various cells and their functions in a unique and engaging way.
Cast and Crew
The film is directed by Hideki Takeuchi, known for his work on the live-action Thermae Romae films. The screenplay is written by Yūichi Tokunaga, who has also worked on live-action adaptations such as Kaguya-sama: Love is War and Princess Jellyfish. Warner Bros. Japan is distributing the film. The theme song, “50%”, is performed by Official HiGE DANdism. Other members of the cast include, Mana Ashida as Niko and Sadao Abe as Shigeru.
Storyline
The film delves into the microscopic world inside the human body, showcasing the tireless efforts of cells. It highlights the roles of red blood cells in carrying oxygen, white blood cells in fighting bacteria, and numerous other cells that work continuously to maintain health.
Initial Success
On its opening weekend, Cells at Work! debuted at number one in the Japanese box office, earning 844 million yen ($5.48 million USD) from 611,000 admissions. This opening performance ranked third among live-action Japanese films released in 2024. The film also received positive reviews, ranking third in Filmarks’ first-day satisfaction ranking.
Comparison to Other Films
The initial success of Cells at Work! places it behind Kingdom: Return of the Great General (1.629 billion yen) and Last Mile (978 million yen) in terms of opening weekend box office performance for live-action Japanese films in 2024.
Global Box Office Landscape
While Cells at Work! is dominating the box office in Japan, the global box office has seen a battle between other major releases. During the December 27-29 weekend, Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 were neck and neck.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa: The Lion King grossed $114.2 million worldwide, with $77.1 million from international markets and $37.1 million from North America. The film’s total gross after two weekends is $328 million.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 earned $112 million worldwide, with $74 million each from international markets and North America. Its total gross is $211.6 million after two weekends.
Other Notable Films
Other films performing well globally include Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II. Despite these major releases, the live-action Cells at Work film has managed to hold its own at the Japanese box office.
Ongoing Success
The success of the Cells at Work! film is not just a one-weekend wonder. The film maintained its top position for the second weekend as well, earning 532 million yen ($3.38 million USD). Although this was a 37% drop from the opening weekend, it still demonstrated the film’s strong hold on the box office. The movie’s cumulative total gross after two weekends was 1.75 billion yen ($11.13 million USD).
Top Live-Action Manga Adaptations
The film’s performance places it as the third highest-grossing Japanese live-action film adaptation of a popular manga in 2024, behind Kingdom: Return of the Great General and Golden Kamuy.
Fourth Weekend Success
The film continued its strong performance into its fourth weekend, holding the number one spot and earning 641 million yen ($4.05 million USD) from 466,000 ticket sales. The film’s total revenue reached 4.1 billion yen ($26 million USD), and has become the eighth top-grossing Japanese film released in 2024.
Increased Revenue
The box office numbers have continued to rise, partly due to Japan’s New Year’s holiday season.
Conclusion
The live-action adaptation of Cells at Work! has proven to be a major success in Japan, consistently holding the number one position at the box office for multiple weeks. The film’s ability to attract large audiences and maintain its popularity demonstrates the effectiveness of the live-action adaptation and also the manga series’ popularity. As it continues its theatrical run, it will be interesting to see if it continues to break box office records.
