“Beauty and the Beast” opened on top of the Japanese box office last weekend, with Disney distributing on 773 screens. For the three -day period beginning April 21, it made $12.5 million on 951,000 admissions. This beats the three-day total of megahit “Frozen,” which finished in Japan with $231 million.
The score also bodes well ahead as Japan heads into Golden Week, a period between late April and early May studded with public holidays.
Debuting at number four was the second half of “March Comes in Like a Lion,” a Keishi Otomo two-parter about the coming-of-age of a young Japanese chess champion. Released on 295 screens by Toho and Asmik Ace, the film recorded $1.2 million on 96,000 admissions for its opening frame. This was some 11% down from the first instalment, which bowed in March.
Of the top ten, six films were animations, while three others were live-action movies based on anime or manga properties.
