Japan’s anime box office is still very much in detective mode, bro. Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway has held onto the No. 1 spot after a monster debut, while the latest Doraemon film has finally started sliding down the chart.
According to the latest Japanese box office rankings, Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway sold 2,318,009 tickets and made 3,502,137,800 yen — around US$21.9 million — in just its first three days. That gives the movie a new opening-weekend record for the long-running franchise, which is honestly wild considering Conan has been a cinema beast for years already.
This new film puts the spotlight on Chihaya Hagiwara, a member of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police who leads the motorcycle division. The character is now voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro, taking over from the late Atsuko Tanaka. The film also brings in Kanagawa inspector Jugo Yokomizo, teenage detective Masumi Sera, Chihaya’s late younger brother Kenji Hagiwara, and Kenji’s Police Academy classmate Jinpei Matsuda.
Behind the scenes, the movie has a pretty strong team too. Takahiro Hasui, who worked on Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine, directs the film, while Takahiro Ōkura handles the script. Music comes from Yūgo Kanno, and Misia performs the theme song, “Last Danced Anata to”.
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, the main takeaway is simple: Conan still has serious cinema pull. These films often land well with audiences here because they are easy to recommend across age groups — mystery fans, longtime anime watchers, and casual moviegoers can all jump in. No local release detail was included in the source, so for now, keep an eye on Malaysian cinema listings if you’re waiting to catch this one properly on the big screen.
Meanwhile, Eiga Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Kaitei Kiganjō — officially Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil — dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in its eighth weekend. It still earned 72,253,500 yen from Friday to Sunday, about US$453,700, bringing its total to 3.18 million tickets sold and 4,018,802,550 yen earned, or around US$25.23 million.
That is still a very healthy run. The film opened on February 27, debuted at No. 1, and stayed there for six straight weekends. It is the 45th 2D Doraemon anime film, not counting the 3D CG Stand By Me Doraemon movies, and remakes the 1983 classic Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil.
Other anime-related titles are still hanging around the top 10. Shingo Yamashita’s Cosmic Princess Kaguya! stayed at No. 5 in its ninth weekend after its limited theatrical run was extended. The film earned 114,999,300 yen over the weekend and has now made 2,038,039,600 yen in total. It also started streaming on Netflix on January 22, which makes it especially relevant for SEA viewers who may discover it online rather than through cinemas.
The live-action The Ogre’s Bride film dropped to No. 9 in its fourth weekend, while Golden Kamuy: Attack on Abashiri Prison Arc moved down to No. 10 in its sixth weekend. Both are reminders that manga and light novel adaptations are still a major part of Japan’s box office mix, not just traditional anime releases.
Outside the top 10, Assassination Classroom the Movie: Everybody’s Time and the Poupelle of Chimney Town sequel both left the ranking.
Source: Anime News Network