Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island is still performing strongly at the Japanese box office. The animated film stayed at No. 1 during its fifth weekend, earning 1.242 billion yen from August 21 to 23 and attracting about 825,800 moviegoers. The film continues to draw large crowds even after several weeks in theaters.
According to an official source, the latest weekend result was 39% higher than the previous weekend. The figures were based on Japanese box office data from Kogyo Tsushinsha. The movie had already passed 10 billion yen in just 30 days, and by August 23, it had earned about 11.05 billion yen from 7.66 million admissions.
Chiikawa continues to dominate the Japanese box office
The fifth-weekend victory marks another strong chapter in the movie’s theatrical run. Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island opened in Japan on July 24 and debuted at No. 1 before briefly dropping to second place during its second weekend behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It has since returned to the top position for three consecutive weekends.
The latest ranking also puts the film at No. 42 on Japan’s all-time box office chart. Its current total has allowed it to pass the lifetime earnings of Chainsaw Man – The Movie – Reze Arc and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
New theater bonus helps boost fifth-weekend attendance
One reason behind the film’s unusually strong fifth-weekend performance appears to be its latest theater bonus campaign.
Starting August 22, moviegoers began receiving the third round of audience gifts, called Gokigen Siren♪. The giveaway consists of three different pull-back mini cars featuring Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi. The timing of the promotion appears to have encouraged repeat visits and helped increase weekend revenue.
A similar effect was reported earlier in August when the second audience bonus, Bonbon Drop Stickers, coincided with a major increase in weekend revenue.
