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Japanese box office · 1997

Japanese Box Office 1997: Highest-Grossing Japanese Movies

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie released in 1997, with $22.6M worldwide, ahead of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) at $15.8M and Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) at $2.3M. 5 Japanese-language films released in 1997 report a worldwide gross, $40.9M in all, 3% of it from the US & Canada. That is 7.2 times the total of 1996, whose releases took $5.7M. By genre, Animation leads with $40.7M across 3 Japanese releases.

1997 releases with a gross
5
combined worldwide
$40.9M
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997), the #1
$22.6M
vs 1996
×7.2
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Japanese Hits of 1997?

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) leads with $22.6M, 55% of the total. The top 5 together took $40.9M, almost all of what the 5 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) movie poster Number 1
    $22.6M Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
    $1.3M US & Canada · 6% $21.3M elsewhere · 94%
  2. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) movie poster Number 2
    $15.8M Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) movie poster Number 3
    $2.3M Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Cure (1997) movie poster Number 4
    $234.8K Cure (1997)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. Suzaku (1997) movie poster Number 5
    $1.8K Suzaku (1997)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Japanese Release of 1997, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1997.

  1. 1 Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) movie poster
    Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) Jul 19, 1997 · Animation, Sci-Fi $22.6M worldwide
    Jul 19, 1997 US and Canada: $1.3M Rest of the world: $21.3M Worldwide: $22.6M
  2. 2 Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) movie poster
    Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) Mar 15, 1997 · Sci-Fi, Drama $15.8M worldwide
    Mar 15, 1997 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $15.8M
  3. 3 Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) movie poster
    Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) Apr 19, 1997 · Comedy, Animation $2.3M worldwide
    Apr 19, 1997 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.3M
  4. 4 Cure (1997) movie poster
    Cure (1997) Nov 6, 1997 · Crime, Mystery $234.8K worldwide
    Nov 6, 1997 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $234.8K
  5. 5 Suzaku (1997) movie poster
    Suzaku (1997) May 15, 1997 · Drama $1.8K worldwide
    May 15, 1997 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.8K
By release month

Which Month of 1997 Earned the Most?

July releases took the most, $22.6M from 1 film, led by Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997). May was the quietest month ($1.8K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) $15.8M Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997)
  4. April Apr Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) $2.3M Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997)
  5. May May Suzaku (1997) $1.8K Suzaku (1997)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) $22.6M Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  11. November Nov Cure (1997) $234.8K Cure (1997)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1997 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1988 earned the most: $58.3M from 5 films, led by My Neighbor Totoro (1988). 1997 took $40.9M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1988 5 films 5 $58.3M – My Neighbor Totoro (1988) $30.4M
1989 7 films · −71% 7 $16.9M −71% Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) $10.4M
1990 6 films · −9% 6 $15.4M −9% The Witches (1990) $10.4M
1991 4 films · −92% 4 $1.2M −92% Only Yesterday (1991) $610.8K
1992 3 films · +777% 3 $10.2M +777% Once Upon a Crime... (1992) $8.7M
1993 7 films · −86% 7 $1.4M −86% Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993) $659K
1994 3 films · −88% 3 $169.4K −88% Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice (1994) $167.8K
1995 2 films · +815% 2 $1.5M +815% Pom Poko (1995) $1.3M
1996 3 films · +268% 3 $5.7M +268% Whisper of the Heart (1996) $4.6M
1997 5 films · +617% 5 $40.9M +617% Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) $22.6M
Archive

Japanese Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1936 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2023 leads with $1.6B, led by The Boy and the Heron (2023).

2020s 7 years · $6.4B
2010s 10 years · $8.1B
2000s 10 years · $3.8B
1990s 10 years · $242.4M
1980s 8 years · $115.3M
1970s 8 years · $763.7K
1960s 10 years · $651K
1950s 9 years · $1.1M
1940s 3 years · $863.9K
1930s 2 years · $23.9K
FAQ

Japanese Box Office 1997: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 5 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie in 1997?

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) leads with $22.6M worldwide, $1.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (1997) at $15.8M and Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997) at $2.3M.

How much did Japanese-language movies released in 1997 earn?

5 Japanese-language films released in 1997 report a worldwide gross, $40.9M in all, or $8.2M per film on average. 1996 releases took $5.7M.

How many Japanese-language movies released in 1997 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997), earned $22.6M.

How much of the 1997 Japanese box office came from the US and Canada?

$1.3M of the $40.9M total, or 3%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 4 films of the 5 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1997 Japanese box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1997. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact, and so are films whose stored language is most likely wrong.

How often is the 1997 Japanese box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.