Anime Films Bring in the Box Office Money in Japan Making Up Four of the Top Five Movies of the Year

As we approach the end of the year, Japanese film website Eiga has complied the box office numbers from 2022 and found that out of the top five films released over the last year in Japan, four of the five were anime films with One Piece Film Red leading the pack and the other film being Top Gun Maverick in third place. 

Top 5 Films at the Japanese Box Office in 2022

1. 1. One Piece Film Red - 18.78 billion yen (US$134.04 million)
2. 2. JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 - 13.8 billion yen (US$121.15 million)
3. 3. Top Gun Maverick - 13.5 billion yen (US$100.45 million)
4. 4. Suzume - 10.01 billion yen (US$72.74 million)
5. 5. Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween - 9.78 billion yen (US$74.45 million)

According to Eiga, the total box office in 2022 was 140% of that in 2021 but is still only 90% of the average five-year period before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The increase comes from anime films, which saw a massive increase over last year, which saw Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time in the top spot with 10.28 billion yen. This year alone saw three anime films reach the 10 billion yen milestone, including JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 which was released on December 24, 2021.

It should be noted that the Japanese box office year is counted from December of the year before to the end of November of that year. This is why despite both THE FIRST SLAM DUNK and Avatar: The Way of Water meeting the requirements to be in the top ten of their lists, they’re left out and will likely be seen on the 2023 highest-grossing films lists. 

RELATED: Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Led the Japanese Box Office to a Slight Increase In 2021 Over 2020

Here are the complete lists as complied by eiga.com as of the film’s box office numbers on December 25:

Top 10 Domestic Films at the Japanese Box Office in 2022

1. 1. One Piece Film Red - 18.78 billion yen (US$134.04 million)
2. 2. JUJUTSU KAISEN 0 - 13.8 billion yen (US$121.15 million)
3. 3. Suzume - 10.01 billion yen (US$72.74 million)
4. 4. Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween - 9.78 billion yen (US$74.45 million)
5. 5. Kingdom II: To Distant Lands - 5.16 billion yen (US$37.8 million)
6. 6. Shin Ultraman - 4.44 billion yen (US$34.2 million)
7. 7. 99.9 Criminal Lawyer: The Movie - 3.01 billion yen (US$25.3 million)
8. 8. The Last Ten Years - 3 billion yen (US$24.9 million)
9. 9. Silent Parade - 29.7 billion yen (US$21.4 million) [as of December 11]
10. 10. The Confidence Man JP Episode of the Hero - 2.89 billion yen (US$25 million)

Image via Suzume on Twitter

Top 10 International Films at the Japanese Box Office in 2022

1. 1.Top Gun Maverick - 13.5 billion yen (US$100.45 million)
2. 2. Jurassic World Dominion - 6.32 billion yen (US$46.75 million)
3. 3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - 4.6 billion yen (US$36.32 million)
4. 4. Minions: The Rise of Gru - 4.44 billion yen (US$32.85 million)
5. 5. Spider-Man No Way Home - 4.25 billion yen (US$37.62 million)
6. 6. Sing 2 - 3.31 billion yen ($26.81 million)
7. 7. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 2.16 billion yen (US$16.64 million)
8. 8. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - 1.91 billion yen (US$16.82 million)
9. 9. The Matrix Resurrections - 1.4 billion yen (US$12.21 million)
10. 10.(Tied) Thor Love and Thunder - 1.35 billion yen (US$9.95 million)
11. 10.(Tied) Black Panther Wakanda Forever - 1.3 to 1.4 billion yen (US$7.88 million)

Source: Eiga.com

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Daryl Harding is a Senior Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.