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Japanese box office · 1999

Japanese Box Office 1999: Highest-Grossing Japanese Movies

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie released in 1999, with $163.6M worldwide, ahead of Audition (1999) at $365K and Ring 2 (1999) at $65.6K. 4 Japanese-language films released in 1999 report a worldwide gross, $164.1M in all, 52% of it from the US & Canada. One film crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 94.7 times the total of 1998, whose releases took $1.7M.

1999 releases with a gross
4
combined worldwide
$164.1M
film crossed $100M
1
vs 1998
×94.7
Top 4

What Were the Biggest Japanese Hits of 1999?

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) leads with $163.6M, 100% of the total. The top 4 together took $164.1M, almost all of what the 4 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) movie poster Number 1
    $163.6M Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999)
    $85.7M US & Canada · 52% $77.9M elsewhere · 48%
  2. Audition (1999) movie poster Number 2
    $365K Audition (1999)
    $131.3K US & Canada · 36% $233.8K elsewhere · 64%
  3. Ring 2 (1999) movie poster Number 3
    $65.6K Ring 2 (1999)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Across a Gold Prairie (1999) movie poster Number 4
    $38.4K Across a Gold Prairie (1999)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Japanese Release of 1999, 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 1999.

  1. 1 Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) movie poster
    Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) Nov 10, 1999 · Action, Adventure $163.6M worldwide
    Nov 10, 1999 US and Canada: $85.7M Rest of the world: $77.9M Worldwide: $163.6M
  2. 2 Audition (1999) movie poster
    Audition (1999) Oct 2, 1999 · Drama, Horror $365K worldwide
    Oct 2, 1999 US and Canada: $131.3K Rest of the world: $233.8K Worldwide: $365K
  3. 3 Ring 2 (1999) movie poster
    Ring 2 (1999) Jan 23, 1999 · Mystery, Sci-Fi $65.6K worldwide
    Jan 23, 1999 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $65.6K
  4. 4 Across a Gold Prairie (1999) movie poster
    Across a Gold Prairie (1999) Oct 31, 1999 · Comedy, Romance $38.4K worldwide
    Oct 31, 1999 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $38.4K
By release month

Which Month of 1999 Earned the Most?

November releases took the most, $163.6M from 1 film, led by Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999). January was the quietest month ($65.6K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan Ring 2 (1999) $65.6K Ring 2 (1999)
  2. February Feb No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. May May No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  10. October Oct Audition (1999) $403.5K Audition (1999)
  11. November Nov Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) $163.6M Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999)
  12. December Dec No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Last 10 years

How Does 1999 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1999 earned the most: $164.1M from 4 films, led by Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999).

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
1990 6 films 6 $15.4M – 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
1998 7 films · −96% 7 $1.7M −96% Cube (1998) $565.7K
1999 4 films · +9366% 4 $164.1M +9366% Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) $163.6M
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 1999: 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 4 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie in 1999?

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) leads with $163.6M worldwide, $85.7M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Audition (1999) at $365K and Ring 2 (1999) at $65.6K.

How much did Japanese-language movies released in 1999 earn?

4 Japanese-language films released in 1999 report a worldwide gross, $164.1M in all, or $41M per film on average. 1998 releases took $1.7M.

How many Japanese-language movies released in 1999 made $1 billion?

None. 1 film crossed $100 million, led by Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back! (1999) with $163.6M.

How much of the 1999 Japanese box office came from the US and Canada?

$85.9M of the $164.1M total, or 52%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 4 report no domestic figure.

How is the 1999 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 1999. 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 1999 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.