entertainment

'Frozen' tops box office in Japan for 5th consecutive week

26 Comments

The Oscar-winning Disney animated feature “Frozen,” which opened in Japan on March 14, has remained the top box office earner in Japan for five straight weeks.

According to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, the film -- which is titled "Anna and the Snow Queen" for Japan -- has so far earned more than 9.28 billion yen and is expected to surpass the 10-billion yen mark by next weekend.

The association said more than 7 million people had seen the film so far at Japanese theaters, with the dubbed Japanese version particularly popular. Sayaka Kanda, 27, who is the daughter of singer Seiko Matsuda, provides the voice for the protagonist in the Japanese version.

A critical and commercial success in the U.S., “Frozen” has made more than $1.1 billion overseas. It is the culmination of a revival driven by fierce competition and the Disney studio’s purchase of rival Pixar in 2006, bringing boss John Lasseter into the Disney fold.

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26 Comments
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Overrated film and the song hype is just annoying.

-12 ( +4 / -16 )

My daughter loved it, but she keeps asking why we couldn't see it at Christmas like her cousins in Europe did. It's about snow, and winter and Japanese people love the four seasons, but we got to see it in springtime.

I have no good answer to give her. She doesn't mind, though, since the DVD arrived from Amazon UK, she is the envy of her friends at school. Nearly every day she's got friends round to watch it, and they all want to know why Japanese kids had to wait so long.

I'm sick of the bloody thing now, though.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Frozen is revolutionary film in East Asia, where, from the beginning of time, it is women that are meant to be the repressed, 'perfect girls,' and where Snow Queens (or Snow Women) are never heroines, only very the worst kind of horror. When Elsa (the snow queen) says "I am not cold at all!" (少しも寒くないわ, The cold never bothered me anyway) it makes me shiver. It is perhaps the equivalent of Count Dracula coming to terms with his desire for the blood of virgins. "Bloodless virgins never bothered me anyway". The good Vampire in Twilight is still repressed. Interview with a Vampire was not made into a fun family animation. The revolutionary way in which Frozen says, to Asian women, 'you can be yourselves at last ', has made the theme song monster popular among Japanese and Korean singers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGYWtZodZKY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCxh29luJtg

And the Japanese version by Matsu Takako (the longing! the release!) seems to be getting the most praise in the 23 language version here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0T8Cd4UhA

Matsu Takako nailed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvj3-MZO9Tw

Izanami is out!

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Um, I think you're reading too much into the lyrics. Good movie though.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It's agreat film becuase it's about girls and it's for girls and that's about time and the love is about the love between siblings, sisters. A first for Disney. I too thought it was bit singy, but as my daughter now has all the songs down pat, and most of the script... Well, English at home has a renewed energy! Bravo!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

of course the dubbed version is more popular it is aimed at kids after all. All of my English speaking friends with kids wanted to see the English version but couldn't because of their kids. I was happy all theaters in my area were offering the English version! It's super rare to find animations with an option of dubbed or subbed.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Frozen songs seem to be the most covered songs in recent years; "Let It Go" being the first Broadway-type song in years to crack the US Billboard Top 40 and won the Oscars for Best Original Song; made a household name of Idina Menzel a.k.a. Adele Dazeem; top local songs in many countries such as South Korea; this week Japan's Hot Billboard 4 out of the Top 21 are Frozen songs. The movie, with more than $1.1 Billion worldwide box office gross, has now passed Toy Story 3 as top animation (but not adjusted for inflation).

In Japan so far:

Japan's Top Most-Attended Films of All-Time

32 :: 7.60 million - Monsters, Inc. (2002)

33 :: 7.56 million - Arrietty (2010)

33 :: 7.56 million - Frozen (2014) [5 weeks in release]

35 :: 7.50 million - The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)

36 :: 7.33 million - The Sands of Kurobe (1968)

Japan's Top Highest-Grossing Films of All-Time

35 Y9.37 billion - Monsters, Inc. (2002)

36 Y9.35 billion - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

37 Y9.28 billion - Frozen (2014) [5 weeks in release]

38 Y9.25 billion - Arrietty (2010)

39 Y9.20 billion - Heaven and Earth (1990)

It may keep it up till Golden Week.

Omoide no Marnie producer Yoshiaki Nishimura of Studio Ghibli said: there was a time in film history where "the flawless hero saves the woman," followed by a time for films where "the woman supports the troubled hero." Now, he said, 2014 is the time when "the man doesn't have to save the woman."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I took my daughter. She loved it, I enjoyed it. Great film.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The association said more than 7 million people had seen the film so far at Japanese theaters, with the dubbed Japanese version particularly popular

Yeah! I'm one of them and I regret being a part of it. It SUCKS.

Ugly plot, so much feminism, so much singing... UGHHHHH!!!!!!

Let it go, let it go lalalalala. So annoying! PLEASE STOP

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

@titaniumdioxide

I'm with you buddy, my kids love it, but for me, well you covered all the points.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

titaniumdioxideApr. 16, 2014 - 06:22PM JST Yeah! I'm one of them and I regret being a part of it. It SUCKS. Ugly plot, so much feminism, so much singing... UGHHHHH!!!!!! Let it go, let it go lalalalala. So annoying! PLEASE STOP

... did you ever consider that perhaps you are not the intended target audience? I had to remind myself of this pretty much every time I saw Jar-Jar Binks, it became my mantra, "I am not the intended target audience... I am not the intended target audience...".

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Ugly plot, so much feminism, so much singing... UGHHHHH!!!!!!

So much feminism... the horror. For a man's rights activists?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

I watched, but i did not make an impression on me, I got the feeling it is overrated, Good for Disney though, they succeeded with this one like "Brave" couldn't

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@TitaniumOxide Lol I can understand where you're coming from. Hearing "let it go" enough times can drive you bonkers.

As Frungy, intended audience are kids. Then again, Disney is big in Japan, and not just with kids but adults as well. So it's very likely a hit with grown-up female demographic who are into Disney as well.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Who remembers the good old days when the most popular films had humans in them?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Who remembers the good old days when the most popular films had humans in them?

You mean like Snow White and Cinderella?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

You mean like Snow White and Cinderella?

No, I think you know what I mean.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

No taste. But Disney hasn't make a good animation since the "Little Mermaid". Don't see much difference in the good old days and now. Popular films are all fantasy.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Bogi - yeah, the good old days with human characters, like Dumbo, and The Little Mermaid, and Finding Nemo, and Bambi, and the Jungle Book...and Lady and the Tramp...and 101 Dalmatians...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@slumdog & HaraldBloodaxe

Your sacastic offers to educate me on some of the annimated films that have existed in the past are not necessary. I have seen them all, and I could make my own list. My original comment alluded to the fact that the percentage of films that are shown at cinemas these days is considerably higher than in the past.

If you would like to disagree with an opinion you see on this website, I suggest you do it in a more respectful manner, if you know how.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Bogi - don't forget the Aristocats, Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, The Rescuers, Fantasia...so many great Disney films with real human characters. That's why Disney made such a success of Mickey Human and Donald Human, I suppose.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

It is a good movie.

More importantly, kids love it. They love the songs and want to learn how to sing them. Not many movies have that kind of power.

The singers for the English version are outstanding. Yes, it is a musical of sorts, but that isn't bad when you have Idina Menzel singing. She is off the charts awesome. I was also very pleasantly surprised with Kristen Bell's singing. I didn't know she sang, let alone so well.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Watched it, didn't care much for it. Though I have a feeling 30y/o males aren't the target audience here. Its more for moms and their young daughters.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Didn't see it in theater but I was curious so I bought it on blu-ray. I got turned off at the blatant mocking at their old themes like love at first sight, get married right after and true love's kiss. Those themes were what made Disney what it is today. I don't know what Frozen is trying to be. Anyways, songs aren't that great. Let it go is okay. I was bored with the story. Last Disney animation I liked was Tangled. Frozen tries to much to deny its roots. It's unsightly.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Reminds us one of the funner moments, the Let It Go sing-along special on Good Morning America at NY Times Square:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEVq8CKnZqM

And in 25 languages featuring the international cast of voice actresses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0T8Cd4UhA

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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