The film sold 630,000 tickets, double the previous record, Gundam: Hathaway
Shochiku announced on Monday that the Mobile SuitGundam Seed anime FREEDOM sold 634,182 tickets for 1,065,983,130 yen (about $7.20 million) in its first three days. This marks the highest three-day opening box office for the series and the biggest opening weekend for a film this year in Japan. The film topped the Japanese box office over the weekend.
Starting February 2 and running until February 8 (or until tickets sell out), those who watch the film in theaters will receive a booklet introducing the characters and setting designs.
© 創通・サンライズ
© 創通・サンライズ
The film opened in Japan on Friday. The film is expected to be shown in 56 countries and territories.
The previous record holder, Mobile SuitGundam Hathaway, sold 259,074 tickets for 523,943,800 yen (about US$4.77 million at the time) in its first three days at the box office in June 2019. 2021. The film ranked 3rd (in terms of ticket sales) in its first week of release. The film became the first Gundunda film since 1988’s Mobile Suit Sword: Char’s CounterAttack to reach the 1 billion yen mark and grossed a total of 2.23 billion yen (about US$15.1 million at current conversion). .
The 1982 animated film Mobile SuitGundam III: Encounters in Space holds the record for the highest box office gross in Japan among the Gundam animated series with a total gross of approximately 2.3 billion yen (US$15.5 million in current conversion).
Mobile SuitGundam Seed director Mitsuo Fukuda directed the film at Bandai Namco Filmworks. Fukuda also co-wrote the script with his late wife Chiaki Morosawa and Liu Goto. Hisashi Hirai (Mobile Suit Gun Seed) designed the characters.
Takanori Nishikawa (artist also known as TM Revolution) performed the theme song of the movie “Freedom” with producer t.komuro (Tetsuya Komuro). See-Saw returned to the franchise to perform the ending song “Sarigiwa no Romantics” (Romantics Upon Parting), the duo’s first new music in two decades.
Source: Press release
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a minority, non-controlling shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.