This year, Japanese films once again dominated the domestic box office, accounting for eight of the top 10 hits according to figures compiled by the PickScene film review site. (The two non-Japanese films were “Inside Out 2” and “Despicable Me 4,” in sixth and eighth place, respectively. The official numbers for 2024 will be released in late January by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.)
As in previous years, most of the highest-earning films for 2024 were anime, including the year’s top earner, “Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram.”
Based on a popular manga series, the 27th film installment in the venerable franchise centered on a teenage detective trapped in his childhood form grossed ¥15.7 billion ($101 million) following its April 12 release. The film has also won fans overseas, especially in China where it earned nearly $40 million after opening there on Aug. 16 — a series record for the world’s second-largest film market.