2025 - The Year of the Japanese Box Office

The Japanese film market is experiencing a significant boom, signaling a successful box office year starting in the first half of 2025. This vibrancy raises historically high expectations, with the combined box office revenue this year potentially strong enough to surpass the all-time record set in 2019.

According to the Japan Times, 2025 has shown a promising start, with growth momentum continuing to come from familiar brands that have proven their enduring appeal to audiences. Most notably among these is the blockbuster Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle . According to an announcement on November 18th by Japanese distributors, the total global revenue of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle has surpassed 100 billion yen ( US$644 million ). The film not only solidified the "Demon Slayer brand" position on the global film map but also contributed significantly to the overall growth of the Japanese box office.

A scene from the movie Kokuho. Photo: YOSHIDA SHUICHI / ASAHI SHIMBUN

Similar to previous years, manga and anime continued to play a dominant role, accounting for three-quarters of the highest-grossing films of 2025. The most prominent were Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback and Chainsaw Man . Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback , the 28th film in the Detective Conan series, further solidified its position as a stable pillar, reaching 14.4 billion yen in revenue for the third consecutive time. Both Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback and Chainsaw Man were distributed in the US market by Sony Pictures.

However, anime's dominance this year was challenged by director Lee Sang-il's live-action drama, Kokuho ( National Treasure ). Despite being a drama and having a runtime of 3 hours, the film created a strong impact on the public. With a revenue of 17.37 billion yen, it is currently ranked as the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time, breaking the record that had stood for over 20 years, previously held by Bayside Shakedown 2 (2003). The film was selected as Japan's nominee for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards (98th Oscars) and will be released in North America next year.

This film challenged traditional industry perceptions on two points: its 3-hour runtime (too long for contemporary audiences) and its Kabuki theme (one of the three major Japanese theatrical art forms, along with noh drama and bunraku puppetry, considered too niche to be mainstream entertainment). Referring to these points in an article on the business news site President Online, veteran producer Minami Ichikawa admitted that initially everyone considered Kokuho a “high business risk,” but ultimately Toho Company decided to distribute it.

In 2019, the Japanese box office peaked with a record total revenue of 261.1 billion yen. This is considered the gold standard for the Japanese film industry to assess its recovery after a period of decline due to the pandemic and economic fluctuations. The synergy of high-quality anime and live-action blockbusters has helped create a rare "big bang" atmosphere for the Japanese box office in 2025. The entire industry is waiting to see if the breakthrough of these flagship works will be enough to push the total annual revenue past the 2019 record – a milestone now seen as a symbol of the golden age of Japanese cinema.

HANH CHI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/2025-nam-cua-phong-ve-nhat-ban-post827314.html