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Stand by Me Doraemon, which released Japan-wide on Aug. 8, has become a record-breaking hit. Twenty days after its release, on Aug. 27, the official box office earnings were announced to be 5,043,058,900, well over 5 billion yen. Tickets sold numbered 3,817,074. This huge hit is being supported by its wide popularity which has resulted in the movie maintaining its No. 1 ranking for three consecutive weeks since its release, all during the season of one summer blockbuster after the next.
The movie had picked up huge attention before its release for being the first 3D CG anime movie based on Doraemon created by Fujiko F. Fujio in 1969. Since its release, the movie has gained popularity for its unique 3D feel and the realness of this familiar, secret tool. On the other hand, the story, a melding of many episodes from the masterpiece original work, is so emotional audiences aren’t able to hold their tears back. Another secret to its success is likely to be its content that is enjoyable to adults who grew up with Doraemon.
The movie’s surpassment of 5 billion yen in box office revenue puts it atop other anime released domestically in Japan this year including Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie, Detective Conan: The Sniper from Another Dimension, Doraemon: New Nobita's Great Demon - Peko and the Exploration Party of Five, When Marnie Was There, and Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction. The movie is also the No. 1 CG anime ever created domestically in Japan. For many years it has been said that CG animation created in Japan doesn’t do well in the movie industry, but Stand by Me Doraemon toppled this thinking on its head. It established the fact that if the characters are hugely popular and if the story is well written, even a domestic CG work can be accepted by huge audiences. This movie will likely have large influences on Japan’s anime and movie industries from here on.
Source: animeanime
