Rurouni Kenshin trilogy passes 12-billion-yen mark in Japan!
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“Rurouni Kenshin,” a live-action film trilogy based on the manga of the same name, has surpassed the 12-billion-yen ($112.4 million) threshold at the Japanese box office.
The second installment in the samurai action trilogy, “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno,” drew more than 4 million moviegoers in the 76 days up to Oct. 16 after hitting cinemas nationwide on Aug. 1. The third installment that opened Sept. 13, “Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends,” had attracted more than 3 million audience members as of Oct. 14.
Box-office data show that “Kyoto Inferno,” with its 4.01 million moviegoers as of Oct. 15, had raked in 5.18 billion yen. Meanwhile, “The Legend Ends,” with its 3.04 million audience members in its first 32 days after opening, collected 3.88 billion yen.
Together, the two films attracted more than 7 million people and raked in 9.06 billion yen at the domestic box office.
The first installment of the trilogy, “Rurouni Kenshin,” was released in 2012 and took in 3.01 billion yen.
According to Warner Bros., which handles the film series, “The Legend Ends” is still showing nationwide, meaning that the swashbuckler trilogy is set to further expand its box-office prowess.
“Rurouni Kenshin” is based on a popular cartoon series written by Nobuhiro Watsuki, which ran from 1994 to 1999. The live-action film adaptations starring Takeru Satoh were directed by Keishi Otomo.
Translated by The Asahi Shimbun from the website of Anime Anime Japan Ltd.