How large an audience did the new movie, released after 13 years, attract during its first weekend?
It was a clear No. 1 at the box office, but different reactions also continued to emerge regarding the experience inside theaters.
That is why it is difficult to read audience numbers and viewing conditions as a single performance.
3-Line Summary
1. The new movie ranked No. 1 in first-weekend attendance
2. 53만5천 people and 9억4천만 yen over 3 days
3. Box-office success and viewing discomfort are separate issues.
Debuted at No. 1 in the August 28–30 tally
〈Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: 〈Walpurgisnacht: Rising〉〉 is the fourth movie continuing from the 2011 TV anime 〈Puella Magi Madoka Magica〉. Sankei News reported, citing figures compiled by the Kogyo Tsushinsha, that the film recorded a No. 1 debut in the nationwide movie-attendance rankings for August 28 through 30.
Its results over the first 3 days were 53만5천 attendees and 9억4천만 yen in box-office revenue. During the same period, No. 2 〈Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island〉 was recorded at 36만9천 attendees and 5억4천700만 yen in box-office revenue. Looking at the two films’ first-weekend figures side by side, the new Madoka Magica movie led in both attendance and revenue.
This ranking shows the film’s performance during its opening week. A No. 1 result alone does not determine the eventual scale of its box-office performance, but it does mean that, at least during the 3 days tallied, many viewers chose the film. The fact that it rose to the top of the rankings during its opening week and the context of it being a long-awaited new installment are difficult to separate.
An expert commentary in Yahoo! News explained that the film had been released after three postponements. The commentary noted that the work has support not only from its core fan base, which has continued since 2011, but also from younger audiences, and that its fans are not limited to men, with many women among them as well. However, this is an explanation of the work’s fan base and release circumstances introduced by the contributor, not data that establishes every audience member’s characteristics numerically.
The fourth movie reunites the original staff and cast
According to Sankei News, the original staff and cast reunited for this film. Akiyuki Shinbo served as chief director, Gen Urobuchi wrote the screenplay, and Ume Aoki handled the original character designs. Akiyuki Shinbo is confirmed as the film’s chief director, Gen Urobuchi as its screenwriter, and Ume Aoki as the person responsible for the original character designs.
The voice cast included Aoi Yuki, Chiwa Saito, and Eri Kitamura, among others. This reunion of personnel who have worked on the series from earlier stages is production information confirmed in the reports. Accordingly, the first-weekend No. 1 is not simply a new title entering the rankings; it marks the return before audiences of a new installment in a series that began as a TV anime and continued into theatrical films.
However, the names of the staff and cast, the box-office figures for the first 3 days, and the ranking are different types of information. The former concerns who made and performed in the work, while the latter concerns audience figures for that period. The material provided offers no basis for combining them to conclude a specific audience reaction or the film’s final evaluation.
SNS complaints about unpleasant odors concern the viewing environment
The Yahoo! News expert commentary said that SNS complaints had emerged to the effect that some viewers left midway because they found the odor during the screening difficult to endure, or covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs. The commentary discussed this as sumehara. Sumehara is an expression used to mean causing discomfort to other people because of an odor.
The important distinction in this article is that it did not say such complaints were a phenomenon limited to this film. The contributor explained that experiencing discomfort from odors while watching a movie, including at theaters on rainy days, is not limited to a particular work. At the same time, the contributor added the judgment that related complaints were especially noticeable with this film.
The contributor presented the circumstance that fans across a broad range of generations had gone to theaters all at once during the first weekend after the first new installment in 13 years was released as relevant context. However, this is the contributor’s interpretation. There was no announcement definitively establishing that audience numbers directly caused the odor-related discomfort, nor is there evidence that SNS complaints represent the experience of every screening or every viewer.
Do not combine the No. 1 result and complaints about discomfort into one conclusion
The box-office performance confirmed in the reports provided is 53만5천 attendees, 9억4천만 yen, and No. 1 in the nationwide rankings during the first 3 days. By contrast, the odor-related discussion consists of complaints about viewing discomfort posted by some viewers on SNS and the content of an expert commentary interpreting them. One is a tallying result, while the other concerns experiences and reactions inside theaters.
The commentary pointed out that these complaints could produce a light audience segment or general audiences who, despite being interested in the film, might hesitate to visit a movie theater. Conversely, it reported that posts had also appeared from male fans who managed odors before going to the theater, as well as posts urging people to be mindful of clothing and cleanliness so as not to inconvenience others in a movie theater where many people gather.
The central point of this weekend is that a successful opening performance and a comfortable viewing experience do not automatically carry the same meaning. The rankings show that many viewers came to see the film, but they do not erase complaints about discomfort inside the theater. When considering the new movie’s first weekend, it is more accurate to treat its No. 1 result and the viewing environment as separate matters.
References
Tags #PuellaMagiMadokaMagica #MadokaMagicaMovie #WalpurgisnachtRising #MadokaMagicaBoxOffice #MovieAttendanceRankings #JapaneseMovieRankings #AnimatedTheatricalFilm #AkiyukiShinbo #GenUrobuchi #UmeAoki #AoiYuki #ChiwaSaito #MovieTheaterViewing #Sumehara