“Conan” and “Haikyu” Prop Up Japanese Box Office in 2024

Overall box office revenue in Japan fell by 6.5% to ¥207.0 billion in 2024, according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, which is composed of the country’s four main film production companies. Movie theater attendance dropped by 7.1% to 144.4 million, while average spending on admission fees rose by ¥9 to ¥1,433.

Box office revenue for Japanese movies climbed 5.1% to ¥155.8 billion, beating the previous record of ¥148.6 billion, set in 2016. Tōhō produced two anime generating more than ¥10 billion in revenue, which were Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram with ¥15.8 billion and Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle with ¥11.6 billion. Its live-action hit Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General, created in association with Sony Pictures International, also made ¥8.0 billion.

However, the revenue for overseas movies slumped by 30.2% to ¥51.2 billion. Disney’s Inside Out 2 was the top performer with ¥5.4 billion, but this was lower than all of the leading five Japanese films.

The combined total of annual releases was 1,190, comprising 685 Japanese movies (up 9) and 505 overseas films (down 51). Total movie theater screens increased by 22 to 3,675.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)