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Japanese box office · May 2009

Japanese Box Office, May 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie released in May 2009, with $88.1M worldwide, ahead of Departures (2009) at $74.2M and April Bride (2009) at $32.1M. 6 Japanese-language films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $203.3M in all, <1% of it from the US & Canada. That is up 172% on April 2009, whose releases took $74.8M. By genre, Drama leads with $195.6M across 4 Japanese releases.

May 2009 releases with a gross
6
combined worldwide
$203.3M
Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009), the #1
$88.1M
vs April 2009
+172%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Japanese Hits of May 2009?

Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) leads with $88.1M, 43% of the total. The top 5 together took $203.1M, almost all of what the 6 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $88.1M Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  2. Departures (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $74.2M Departures (2009)
    $1.5M US & Canada · 2% $72.7M elsewhere · 98%
  3. April Bride (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $32.1M April Bride (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $7.5M Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. Air Doll (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $1.2M Air Doll (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Japanese Release of May 2009, 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 May 2009.

  1. 1 Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) movie poster
    Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) May 30, 2009 · Drama $88.1M worldwide
    May 30, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $88.1M
  2. 2 Departures (2009) movie poster
    Departures (2009) May 29, 2009 · Drama, Comedy $74.2M worldwide
    May 29, 2009 US and Canada: $1.5M Rest of the world: $72.7M Worldwide: $74.2M
  3. 3 April Bride (2009) movie poster
    April Bride (2009) May 9, 2009 · Drama $32.1M worldwide
    May 9, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $32.1M
  4. 4 Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009) movie poster
    Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009) May 1, 2009 · Action, Sci-Fi $7.5M worldwide
    May 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7.5M
  5. 5 Air Doll (2009) movie poster
    Air Doll (2009) May 14, 2009 · Drama, Fantasy $1.2M worldwide
    May 14, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.2M
  6. 6 Dumbeast (2009) movie poster
    Dumbeast (2009) May 16, 2009 · Comedy $132.4K worldwide
    May 16, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $132.4K
By release week

Which Week of May 2009 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 22 (May 24–30) took $162.3M, led by Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009) $7.5M Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009)
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 3–9 April Bride (2009) $32.1M April Bride (2009)
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 10–16 Air Doll (2009) $1.3M Air Doll (2009)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 17–23 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 24–30 Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) $162.3M Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009)
  6. Week 23 Wk 23 May 31–Jun 6 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years

How Does May 2009 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 2009 earned the most: $203.3M from 6 films, led by Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009).

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 2000 1 film 1 $281.5K – Kikujirô no natsu (2000) $281.5K
May 2001 1 film · −94% 1 $17.3K −94% The Firefly (2001) $17.3K
May 2002 3 films · +57880% 3 $10M +57880% Leave It to the Nurses (2002) $9.6M
May 2003 2 films · +108% 2 $20.9M +108% Pokémon Heroes (2003) $20.9M
May 2004 3 films · −53% 3 $9.7M −53% Godzilla (2004) $9.2M
May 2005 7 films · −25% 7 $7.3M −25% Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - A New Translation I: Heir to the Stars (2005) $7.3M
May 2006 5 films · +1033% 5 $83.1M +1033% Limit of Love: Umizaru (2006) $60.6M
May 2007 7 films · −53% 7 $38.9M −53% Memories of Tomorrow (2007) $17.7M
May 2008 1 film · −82% 1 $7.2M −82% Cyborg She (2008) $7.2M
May 2009 6 films · +2734% 6 $203.3M +2734% Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) $88.1M
Archive

Japanese Box Office in 2009, Month by Month

The months of 2009 with their totals: August leads with $277.9M, led by Ponyo (2009).

FAQ

Japanese Box Office May 2009: 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 6 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie in May 2009?

Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009) leads with $88.1M worldwide. Next come Departures (2009) at $74.2M and April Bride (2009) at $32.1M.

How much did Japanese-language movies released in May 2009 earn?

6 Japanese-language films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $203.3M in all, or $33.9M per film on average. April 2009 releases took $74.8M.

How many Japanese-language movies released in May 2009 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Rookies the Movie: Graduation (2009), earned $88.1M.

How much of the May 2009 Japanese box office came from the US and Canada?

$1.5M of the $203.3M total, or <1%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 5 films of the 6 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 2009 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 May 2009. 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 May 2009 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.