It was announced on November 10 that the box-office revenue of the movie “Kokuhou” (released on June 6), starring actor Ryo Yoshizawa (31), surpassed 17 billion yen. The box-office revenue is still growing, and the No. 1 box-office ranking of Japanese live-action films, “Odoru Daisousasen The Movie 2: Blockade the Rainbow Bridge! (2003/17.35 billion yen), the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time. The actress who is the heroine of “Treasure Island” is wearing a fitted black dress with an “amazingly beautiful neckline” and outstanding style. It is a life story of Kikuo (Yoshizawa), a man born into a chivalrous family but taken in by Hanai Hanjiro (Watanabe Ken/65), the head of a prestigious Kabuki family, and devoted his life to his art. At first, some thought that “Kokuho” would gross around 1 billion yen, but once it was released, the numbers kept growing and it became a blockbuster hit that will remain in the history of Japanese cinema. It is said that the reason for the success of “Kokuho” is that word of mouth gradually spread the film’s popularity, with people saying, “This is interesting” and “I have to see it,” and it attracted both new audiences and repeat viewers. The “National Treasure” cost 1.2 billion yen, which is unusual for Japanese films, where the production cost of a major film is said to be around 1 billion yen. The movie is “Treasure Island” (released on September 19), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki (44). The film is based on the novel of the same title by Junjo Shindo (Kodansha), winner of the 160th Naoki Prize, and is directed by Keishi Otomo, known for “Rurouni Kenshin” and other works. The story centers on childhood friends Gusuku (Tsumabuki), Yamako (Suzu Hirose/27), and Rei (Masataka Kubota/37), and their leader On (Eita Nagayama/42), who went missing in 1952, living in Okinawa during the post-World War II era when the island was ruled by the US. It is an epic story spanning 20 years, depicting their friendship and their struggle for freedom, along with the history of Okinawa. Treasure Island” was also talked about for the many similarities it shares with “National Treasure,” including the fact that it is based on a novel, the huge production budget spent on it, and the length of its running time (*”National Treasure” is 174 minutes; “Treasure Island” is 191 minutes). The reputation of “Treasure Island” is by no means low. It was announced that “Kuniho” was nominated in seven categories and “Treasure Island” in six categories for the “38th Nikkan Sports Film Awards – Yujiro Ishihara Award. Treasure Island” is having a very difficult time at the box office; it was released on September 19, and as of October 5, it had reportedly grossed approximately 500 million yen, and it doesn’t seem to be exploding from there. It is still being screened, but in fewer theaters than “Kokuho,” which was released in June. Although “Kokuho” is distributed by Toho, which owns the major cinema complex “TOHO Cinemas,” ……
