Manga-based movies dominate 2024 box office in Japan

Jan 31 (NHK) - Manga-based movies were big hits in Japan last year. They took the top three spots, helping Japanese films see record box-office proceeds.

The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan on Wednesday announced revenue from movies shown in 2024 in the country.

It says Japanese films earned nearly 156 billion yen or about 1 billion dollars, a new high in yen terms.

The top movie was "Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram," earning about 102 million dollars. "Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle," which is based on a high-school volleyball manga, came in second. Third was "Kingdom: Return of the Great General," a live-action film based on a manga set in ancient China.

The association says proceeds from foreign films were down 30 percent from the previous year to about 331 million dollars. It says there were fewer films than usual amid strikes by Hollywood actors and writers.

That contributed to overall box office revenue falling 6.5 percent to 1.34 billion dollars.

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