By Mark Schilling
With the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on 820 screens in June 26,
the battle of Japan's summer box office is fairly joined. The opening weekend of
$17,324,669 compares favorably with the $18,751,167 on 858 screens take for the
previous Potter film, which went on to earn $166 million.
The other hot Hollywood film of the moment -- The Day After Tomorrow -- is expected
to finish with $55 million. Not bad, but no threat to Harry. Troy? After five weeks in the
theatres it has reached the $32 million mark, but is unlikely to go much farther.
Spider-Man 2? The first film grossed $71 million in Japan and, despite all the critical
hosannas for the second, it is unlikely to swing much higher at the box office following
its July 10 release. Meanwhile, Shrek 2, scheduled to hit local screens on July 24, will be
even a longer shot to win the summer sweepstakes, given Shrek's relatively anemic $21
million gross.
As for Japanese films, the big surprise of the season has been Crying Our for Love In the
Center of the World, a romantic drama about a man's spiritual journey back to the
star-crossed love of his youth. Released by Toho on May 8, it has been wringing tears
ever since, passing the $60 million mark at the box office.
Also coming up is Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy, Toho's big summer film, scheduled for
a July 17 release. Taking ten years and $22 million to complete, it is the most expensive
Japanese animation ever made -- but Toho's projected gross is only $50 million.
So Harry is the hands down winner? For the summer, perhaps. But Hayao Miyazaki's
Howl's Moving Castle, which was originally supposed to take Steamboy's slot in Toho
summer lineup, is still waiting in the wings for its autumn release. Perhaps it's better that
the two films didn't go head-to-head. Miyazaki has seldom lost a box office matchup
with the Hollywood competition -- and Harry might well have got his wand handed to
him.
