Rising virus cases across Europe may have resulted in cinema re-closures but there was still some positive recovery news coming from the Asia Pacific region this week, and most of it was driven by Japanese hit DEMON SLAYER THE MOVIE: MUGEN TRAIN.
Global box office for the week was headed by China’s THE SACRIFICE but DEMON SLAYER was close behind adding another $25.9 million, including a record-breaking opening in Taiwan.
In Japan the weekend brought the anime smash to $150 million after just 17 days on release, continuing a phenomenal run. The movie’s second play-week (Oct. 24-30) fell just 13% week-on-week and drove Japan to hit a second consecutive week at the Stage 5 “Recovery” level of Gower Street’s Blueprint To Recovery measures (a week achieving an equivalent box office to a week in the top quartile of the previous two years).
While China has hit Stage 5 levels in two individual play-weeks since re-opening (the weeks commencing Aug. 21 and Oct. 2), Japan has become the first global market to achieve the feat in two consecutive play-weeks. Japan generated ¥7.91 billion for the Oct. 17 play-week and ¥7.0 billion, an overall market drop of just 11.5%.
Following a ¥3.24 billion 2-day weekend, Japan also looks on course to maintain the Stage 5 level for a third play-week!
Japan, like China, has made significant headway in recouping market losses thanks to local title successes. Full-market box office in Japan is currently tracking 51% behind an average of the past three years, having been 65% behind in early July.
DEMON SLAYER’s success has not been limited to Japan. This past weekend’s opening in Taiwan saw it deliver NT$63.15 million – the biggest opening on record for any animated title in Taiwan, ahead of 2015’s MINIONS and last year’s FROZEN II. The film’s weekend alone was enough to put Taiwan back at Stage 3 Blueprint To Recovery levels after two weeks falling below. Taiwan has previously achieved Stage 4, but is unlikely to do so this week.
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