The cultural phenomenon surrounding Nagano's Chiikawa continues to dominate Japanese cinemas. Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu (The Secret of Mermaid Island), the franchise's landmark first theatrical anime film, shifted to the #2 spot during its tenth weekend at the box office. Distributed by TOHO and animated by Cygames Pictures under the direction of Kei Oikawa, the feature sold 182,000 tickets over the Friday–Sunday frame, bringing in an impressive 280,160,700 yen (roughly $1.78 million).
Box Office Milestones
To date, the feature has achieved a monumental cumulative tally of 11.55 million tickets sold, generating an astonishing 16,857,364,400 yen (approximately $107 million). These exceptional figures establish the movie as the highest-grossing domestic film in Japan for the year, ascending to the 14th position on the nation's all-time box office ranking. Adapted from the popular X (formerly Twitter) story arc originally posted between March and November 2023, the production benefits from unique experiential screenings, including 4DX editions, penlight events, and cheering sessions that keep audiences returning.
Theatrical Competitors
Other heavy hitters continue to perform strongly in Japanese theaters alongside Chiikawa. Star Detective Precure! The Movie: The Mysterious Garden and the Secret of 2 People held firm at #3 during its second weekend, adding 174,435,520 yen (about $1.11 million) to reach a cumulative total of 930,809,150 yen. Meanwhile, Shingo Yamashita's critically acclaimed Cosmic Princess Kaguya! experienced a resurgence following expanded immersive screenings in MX4D, 4DX, SCREENX, and Dolby Atmos formats, pushing its lifetime gross past 3.18 billion yen (approximately $20.29 million).
