Almost everyone around the world enjoys watching anime, especially Japan, the country where the animation style originated. In fact, Japan loves watching anime so much that three anime movies made it to the top of the charts in Japan’s 2021 box office.

Evangelion tops list as Japan’s number one anime movie in 2021

Anime movie Evangelion tops Japanese cinema box office in 2021
Credit: Khara

Anime rules the big screen in Japan, according to data released by the Film Classification and Rating Organization (Eirin). The film regulating body released a list ranking the best movies of 2021 according to their revenue.

Studio Khara’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time topped the list with a revenue of US$87M (JP¥10.2B). The movie is the fourth and final film of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series and was released on March 8, 2021. It was written and directed by the series creator himself, Hideaki Anno.

Other blockbuster anime films include Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet at US$61.2M (JP¥7.7B) and Belle at US$57.2M (JP¥6.6B)



Another animated film that made it to the movie charts is My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission.

Here is the full list of the most watched films in Japan according to their revenue:

RANKING2021 RELEASE DATEMOVIE TITLEREVENUE
#1MarchEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a TimeUS$87M
#2AprilDetective Conan: The Scarlet BulletUS$61.2M
#3JulyBelleUS$57.2M
#4NovemberARASHI Anniversary Tour 5×20 Film “Record of Memories”US$39.4M
#5JulyTokyo Revengers (Live-Action)US$39M
#6AprilRurouni Kenshin: The FinalUS$37.7M
#7December 2020New Interpretation Records of the Three KingdomsUS$35M
#8JanuaryI Fell in Love Like a Flower BouquetUS$33.1M
#8SeptemberMasquerade NightUS$33.1M
#10AugustMy Hero Academia: World Heroes’ MissionUS$29.4M

Live-action movie adaptations of anime series such as Tokyo Revengers and Rurouni Kenshin also ranked highly on cinema revenues, garnering US$39M and US$37.7M respectively.


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