Japan Box Office Report – November 26th/27th

"Suteki na Kanashibari" / "Kaibutsu-kun" / "Kaiji 2"

There are only two new entries in the top ten this weekend, “Kaibutsu-kun” and “Happy Feet Two“.

The movie adaption of the drama “Kaibutsu-kun“, starring Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi, took the box office chart by storm. 431,093 people went to see the movie over the weekend, resulting in an amazing first-weekend revenue of 581,038,150 Yen (7.46 million USD).

Out of all those people, 75% decided to see the 3D version rather than the non-3D version of the movie. Moreover, it should be noted that “Kaibutsu-kun” exceeded the first-weekend result of now second place, “Suteki na Kanashibari“, by 15%. However, the late start might make it difficult to compete for the title of the most successful Japanese movie of 2011. The expected total revenue of over 4 billion Yen (51.36 million USD) should be able to make up for lost title.

Meanwhile, “Suteki na Kanashibari” already mobilized more than 2.5 million people and cleared the 3 billion Yen (38.52 million USD) mark. “Kaiji 2” dropped down to third place. This means that people at movie distributor Toho can give themselves a pat on the back again for claiming the top three of the box office chart once again this year.

“Moneyball“, in at the fourth position, is still going strong as well and could actually reach the 1 billion Yen (12.84 million USD) mark sooner or later.

As already mentioned, “Happy Feet Two” was the second new entry in the top ten this weekend. The animated movie attracted 40,750 people and grossed 54,031,300 Yen (693,869 USD). You just can’t get a lot of Japanese people to watch an animated CG movie, unless you’re a company called Pixar.

Check out the trailers of the new Japanese movies below!

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	Rank/Last		Title	Weeks
	01 (00)		Eiga Kaibutsu-kun	01
	02 (01)		Suteki na Kanashibari	05
	03 (02)		Kaiji 2: Jinsei Dakkai Game	04
	04 (03)		Moneyball	03
	05 (05)		Antoki no Inochi	02
	06 (04)		The Three Musketeers	05
	07 (00)		Happy Feet Two	01
	08 (06)		Eiga Suite Precure: Torimodose! Kokoro ga Tsunagu Kiseki no Melody	05
	09 (08)		Contagion	03
	10 (07)		Immortals	03

===
> “Eiga Kaibutsu-kun” (Fantasy Drama)
Cast: Ohno Satoshi, Matsuoka Masahiro, Yashima Norito, Kawashima Umika, and more

-
> “Hard Romantic-er” (Human Drama)
Cast: Matsuda Shota, Nagayama Kento, Ashina Sei, Maki Yoko, and more

-
> “Gal Basara” (Youth Comedy)
Cast: Arimura Kasumi, Taketomi Seika, Arai Moe, Mori Ren, and more

-
> “Hanako no Nikki” (Human Drama)
Cast: Kurashina Kana, Nagashima Toshiyuki, Kim Sujin, SORA, and more

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> “Kurosawa Eiga 2011 ~Warai ni Dekinai Koi ga Aru~” (Love Story)
Cast: Kurosawa Kazuko, TEYU, Tsubaki Onyakko, Mitsuura Yasuko, and more

-
> “Fuwaku no Adagio” (Human Drama)
Cast: Shibakusa Rei, Chiba Peiton, Shibuya Takuo, Tachibana Rumi, and more

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> “Pornotic” (Omnibus Love Drama)
“Forbidden Dreams” – Cast: Nakamura Mami & Kawaoka Daijiro
“Wakusei no Kakera” – Cast: Yanagi Erisa, Shibukawa Kiyohiko & Kawai Aoba
“Yuyami Dahlia” – Cast: Yoshii Rei, Emoto Tasuku & Monou Akiko

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> “Kokkuri-san Gekijouban” (Horror)
Cast: Suzuki Mariya, Kataoka Asuka, Umemoto Shizuka, Goto Nana, and more

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> “Chikyuu Bouei Girls P9” (Action Comedy)
Cast: Katayama Haruka, Noro Kayo, Asakura Yuki, Kotone Mai, and more

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> “Kisei Jui Suzune GENESIS x EVOLUTION” (Erotic Action)
Cast: Yoshii Rei, Takano Hassei, Kagurazaka Megumi, Kinoshita Houka, and more

-
> “TESE” (Docu about Chong Tese)

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> “Imawano Kiyoshirou: Naniwa Sullivan Show” (Concert Docu)

Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi celebrates his birthday on the opening day of “Kaibutsu-kun”

On November 26th, Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi attended the opening day greeting event for his new movie, “Kaibutsu-kun”.

As it turns out, Ohno’s 31st birthday was on the same day as the premiere, and so he said, “I have never had this kind of birthday before; it is a birthday I will never forget.”

He continued, “This year, ‘Kaibutsu-kun JET’ took its first flight. In combination with other events, it made this a year that was almost like a big dream surpassing my imagination. I have a lot of gratitude to everyone.”

Ohno’s labelmate, TOKIO’s Matsuoka Masahiro, was also there at the event that day, and he commented, “[Ohno] has the same birthday as Carrousel Maki (a transvestite talento)”. Ohno also received a bouquet from a surprise guest — the original manga author of this work, Fujiko Fujio A.

Happy 31st Birthday, Ohno Satoshi!

Source: Daily Sports

Arashi reveals their new CMs for ‘Mario Kart 7′!

On November 17th, Arashi broadcasted their new CMs for Nintendo’s “Mario Kart 7”! This popular racing game will be available on December 1st in Japan and 4th in the U.S. for the Nintendo 3DS.

In these endorsement videos, the members of Arashi talks about various aspects of the game while playing it themselves. Arashi fans will definitely want to check out these hilarious CMs, and even go back to an earlier post with Ninomiya Kazunari cosplaying as Super Mario for ‘SUPER MARIO 3D LAND‘.

Check out the four CMs below!

Source : tokyohive

Arashi’s latest single sells 530,000 copies + tops Oricon weekly chart

Popular group Arashi’s 36th single, “Meikyu Love Song” has sold a total of 530,000 copies in its first week of release and thus achieved the top spot on this week’s Oricon weekly chart.

This will be Arashi’s 25th consecutive number one single since the release of “PIKA★★NCHI DOUBLE” back in 2004. In terms of overall number one appearances on the singles chart, Arashi currently has the third most (with 32 releases) behind B’z with 45 and Hamasaki Ayumi with 37 single chart toppers.

The currently released single, “Meikyu Love Song” is being used as the theme song for Sakurai Sho’s drama “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de“. Aside from the title song, the first day limited edition has their new song “Kienu Omoi” as well as the music video for the title track. The regular version features 3 unreleased songs, “together,forever“, “Utakata“, and “wanna be…“,  that aren’t included in the first day limited edition.

Source: ORICON

Arashi donates 300 million yen to disaster relief

It’s been revealed that popular group Arashi has donated about 300 million yen (approximately $3,841,229 USD) to Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, the areas affected by the Tohoku earthquake.

A portion of the donation includes the members’ royalties from their book “Nippon no Arashi : pocket version” which was released back in June.  As reported last fall, “Nippon no Arashi” is based on the Arashi members’ trip throughout Japan, and it was first privately donated to 40,000 elementary, junior high, and high schools nationwide.  Then the book was released to the public, due to the high demand, and has sold about 420,000 copies.  The 300 million yen also includes the profits from the publishing company, as well as the sales of the charity goods from the charity event “Arashi no Wakuwaku Gakkou” which was held at the Tokyo Dome for three days back in June.

The donation was made directly to each prefecture on November 2nd (100 million yen or around $1.28 million USD per a prefecture).

Source: Sanspo @ Tokyohive

Japan’s favorite artists named by 20,000 people

Weekly entertainment magazine “Only★Star” has revealed its 8th “20,000 Music Fans Select Their Favorite Artist Ranking”.

As expected, Arashi kept their position from last year, coming in at #1 for two consecutive years. Additionally, this year also saw some big leaps. Popular for their hit songs and infamous “Senbatsu General Election”, the girls of AKB48 jumped from #30 to #11. Meanwhile, Perfume jumped from #28 to #20 with their movie and CM appearances, marking  their first time in the Top 20.

Check out the Top 20 below!

[20,000 Music Fans Select Their Favorite Artist Ranking]

01. Arashi

02. Ikimonogakari

03. Mr. Children

04. Utada Hikaru

05. aiko

06. Fukuyama Masaharu

07. B’z

08. Kobukuro

09. Southern All-Stars

10. Yuzu

11. AKB48

12. YUI

13. DREAMS COME TRUE

14. Spitz

15. Porno Graffitti

16. Kuwata Keisuke

17. BUMP OF CHICKEN

18. Amuro Namie

19. GReeeeN

20. Perfume

–

[Favorite Among Teens]

01. Arashi

02. Ikimonogakari

03. YUI

04. AKB48

05. BUMP OF CHICKEN

–

[Favorite Among 20 Year Olds]

01. Arashi

02. Mr. Children

03. Ikimonogakari

04. Utada Hikaru

05. AKB48

–

[Favorite Among 30 Year Olds]

01. Mr. Children

02. Arashi

03. B’z

04. Ikimonogakari

05. Utada Hikaru

–

[Favorite Among 40 Year Olds]

01. Southern All-Stars

02. Ikimonogakari

03. Fukuyama Masaharu

04. Kuwata Keisuke

05. Arashi

–

[History Of The Top Artists]

2011: Arashi

2010: Arashi

2009: Mr. Children

2008: Utada Hikaru

2007: Utada Hikaru

2006: aiko

2005: aiko

2004: Utada Hikaru

Source: Oricon

Arashi’s “Meikyu Love Song” sells 240,000 copies on its first day!

Arashi’s latest single, “Meikyu Love Song“, has sold 240,000 copies on its first day, topping theOricon Daily Single Ranking for November 1st.

“Meikyu Love Song” is currently the theme song for member Sakurai Sho’s drama, “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de“. The single is available in both limited and regular editions, each consisting of different coupling tracks.

Arashi has topped the Oricon Weekly Single Ranking 24 consecutive times since “PIKA★★NCHI DOUBLE“, which was released back in February 2004. In total, the boys have placed first 31 times, so it’s likely that their new single will once again top the charts.

Source: Oricon

Arashi reveals the track lists & cover jackets for their upcoming single

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Arashi will be releasing a new single titled “Meikyu Love Song” which has been chosen as the main theme song for the upcoming drama “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” scheduled to air on November 2nd.  The details on all follow-up songs other than the title track were unknown until now, and the full track list as well as the cover jackets were recently revealed.

Check it out below!

[CD]
1. Meikyu Love Song
2. Kienu Omoi
[DVD]
“Meikyu Love Song” Video Clip

[CD only]
1. Meikyu Love Song
2. together, forever
3. Utakata
4. wanna be…
5. Meikyu Love Song (Original Karaoke)
6. together, forever (Original Karaoke)
7. Utakata (Original Karaoke)
8. wanna be… (Original Karaoke)

Source:tokyohive & J-Storm

Check out the audio for Arashi’s “Meikyu Love Song”

Back in September, we reported that Arashi would release a new single called “Meikyu Love Song“, which will be used as the theme song for Sakurai Sho’s upcoming drama, “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de”.

Though the single is scheduled to hit stores in November, the song seems to have already hit the airwaves. We’ve got the full audio below, so give it a listen and stay tuned for more updates on Arashi!

Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun becomes a magician for ‘Meiji Milk Chocolates’ CM

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Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun has become the sweet endorsement model for Meiji Milk Chocolate, who will be celebrating their 85th anniversary this year. Matsumoto’s concept will transform him into a fresh-faced gentleman walking through a ‘chocolate world’.

To express the idea that Meiji Milk Chocolate has been a much-loved favorite for generations, Matsumoto talks to a little girl sitting on a bench. He muses, “Your mom, and your mom’s mom have eaten this same chocolate for many years“, while making a bar of chocolate magically appear in his hand. He continues, “Maybe your children will too..“, and the little girl wholeheartedly agrees, as she replies, “I’m gonna end up liking it too!“.

In order to deliver a convincing CM, Matsumoto practiced his little magic trick every chance he got. He commented, “Even if I could perform the magic trick well, I’m not sure if I can do it while saying my lines…“, but thanks to his dedication and focus, Matsumoto was able to produce a solid commercial. In fact, his magic skills impressed even the professional magician who accompanied Matsumoto on set.

Matsumoto also interacted with the little girl on set by talking to her and watching magic tricks together, which brought out a natural and cute smile from her.

This new commercial will begin airing on October 4th, but you check it out  right now!

Arashi releases new CMs for ‘au’

Arashi is out to steal hearts again with their unstoppable ‘au‘ CMs, and this time, they’re endorsing three new services!

The commercials see Arashi rocking out and striking dramatic poses to the music of “My Way” by Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. The members are advertising “Tomokomi” (where au users get to talk to each other for free), “Wi MAX” (a speedy internet system), and a smartphone service that boasts strong signals, wherever you are in Japan.

Check out their CMs (and making-of) below!

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‘Making-of’:

More details revealed for Arashi’s upcoming single “Meikyu Love Song”

 Arashi’s next single “Meikyu Love Song” will be the main theme song for upcoming drama “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” which will star member, Sakurai Sho. Recently, some more information for the upcoming single was released and it was also revealed that the upcoming single will be released on November 2nd.

There will be two different editions; limited edition which will consist of two songs (“Meikyu Love Song” + one follow-up song “Unknown title A”) as well as a DVD (“Meikyu Love Song” video clip). The regular edition will have a total of 8 tracks (“meikyu Love Song” + three follow-up songs “Unknown title B”, “Unknown title C”, “Unknown title D” + Instrumental of each tracks).

Source:tokyohive And natalie

Arashi to sing for Sakurai Sho’s upcoming drama

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Arashi member, Sakurai Sho and actress Kitagawa Keiko would be starring in Fuji TV’s new drama, “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de.” Well, recently, it was announced that Arashi’s new song “Meikyu Love Song” has been chosen as the theme song of the drama.

Details on the song including the release date have not been revealed at this moment.

Stay tuned for further details about the song!

Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun attends a press conference for his play, “Aa, Koya”

On September 7th, Arashi’s Matsumoto Jun (28) attended a press conference for his starring stage play, “Aa, Koya”.

This is his first play in five years and he will once again be starring in Ninagawa Yukio’s play. Speaking of this fact, Matsumoto commented, “After the completion of our previous play, Ninagawa told me, ‘If we don’t collaborate anytime soon, I’m going to die’. I am looking forward to it,” speaking of his anticipation with collaborating with Ninagawa once again.

Matsumoto will play a young boxer for this play and revealed that he has been readily hitting the gym since March. He revealed, “It’s a fresh experience. I want to keep going until the opening day,” and showed his ambition to work out his body. Koide Keisuke (27) will play the role of the rival and he stated, “I’m excited to exchange some blows,” and displayed his competitive nature to the audience.

This play will begin on October 29th at the Saitama Art Theater.

Source: Sanspo

Arashi successfully holds live concert in a storm with 70,000 fans

On September 3rd, Arashi held a concert at the National Stadium in Tokyo amidst violent rain and strong winds.

For the opening performance, the members had planned to fly on wires approximately 50 meters high. However, this was inevitably cancelled out of consideration for the members’ safety. Consequently, the boys appeared from underneath the stage in front of 70,000 fans, who were waiting in raincoats.

This was their fourth year in a row performing at the National Stadium. This year, due to typhoon number 12, their concert on September 2nd was postponed to the 4th. Sakurai Sho showed concern for their fans saying, “Not everyone could come to the postponed performance. It is very unfortunate.”

On the 3rd, a typhoon landed in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions, and strong winds even reached Tokyo. As a result of a delay in stage preparations, Arashi wasn’t able to hold a proper rehearsal, and so they hit the stage without a solid practice. There were possibilities for cancellation due to the weather, but the boys decided to fight the storm since there are only two performances in Tokyo, and this will be their last concerts of the year. Aiba Masaki even made a ‘teru teru bozu‘ (paper doll to pray for good weather), and prayed for a recovery in the weather.

The three-and-a-half hour performance concluded successfully amidst the pouring rain, with Arashi singing and dancing to a total of 39 songs (their main focus being on their latest album, “Beautiful World“). Although there were concerns, they used balloons and fireworks as planned for their performance.

During the finale, Aiba said, “I am very thankful that we were able to do the concert,” while Ohno Satoshi expressed, “I’m happy we were able to enjoy this big end-of-summer festival together.”

This concert was a part of Arashi’s nationwide tour, “ARASHI LIVE TOUR Beautiful World“, which brought together a total of 525,000 people. Keeping in mind the power shortage effect from March’s Tohoku Earthquake, they conserved energy by reducing last year’s special feature of the stage fountain. They were able to reduce power consumption by about 70% from last year. It’s said that 99% of their power consumption came from 20 car-powered generators.

Source: Sponichi

Arashi featured in the new CM for “JAL”!

On September 3rd, JAL (Japan Airlines) revealed their new CM featuring the members of Arashi!

The 30-second CM titled “Akitabi (Fall Trip)“, features all five members going through the various routines of the airport and flying off in their plane.

Arashi’s Sakurai Sho to appear on the front cover of “Ray”

Arashi’s Sakurai Sho has graced the cover of women’s fashion magazine “Ray” for its October issue (although he may be missing from the cover above at the moment). Included in this magazine was also a long interview with Sakurai revolving around the theme of “love”.

This interview was divided into three sections: “Sakurai Sho’s Thoughts on Love”, “Love for Work”, and “Love for an Important Person”.

According to Sakurai, he admitted that he cannot say “I like you!” or “I love you!” straight out, even with the help of alcohol. He also stated, “Since I would love everything about my girlfriend, I wouldn’t push my ideals or tell her what to do,” and continued to share points on what a relationship with him would be like.

Also included in this issue was model Karina’s fall coordination ideas, as well as various hair styles ideas for women with short hair.

Source & Image: Model Press

Which Arashi member do you want to see fireworks with?

The month of August in Japan is well-known as the season of fireworks, as many festivals held nationwide celebrate by setting off the wondrous sparks. It’s very common at this time that many couples and families goes out in their yukatas (summer kimonos) and watch the fireworks.
With Arashi’s popularity in all-time high, goo has now asked their users, “Which member do you want to see fireworks with?”
Check out the results below!
—
1. All 5 of them!
2. Aiba Masaki
3. Sakurai Sho
4. Matsumoto Jun
5. Ohno Satoshi
6. Ninomiya Kazunari
—
Which member would you like to see fireworks with?

Yamashita Tomohisa, Perfume, Hey! Say! JUMP and more for “Seventeen”

The latest edition of “Seventeen” is out, featuring spreads from a wide variety of celebrities!
In the September issue, fans can check out sweet shots from Yamashita Tomohisa, adorable group pictures from Perfume, bump.y, and Hey! Say! Jump. Fans can also check out the stunning stare from actress Takei Emi in her regular column “SMILE!”, and a short interview with Arashi member Sakurai Sho.
Check out the scans below!

Source: Zazhimi