Photo/Illutration “The First Slam Dunk” ((c) I.T. PLANNING, INC. (c) THE FIRST SLAM DUNK Film Partners)

Box office revenue in Japan reached 221.482 billion yen ($1.48 billion) in 2023, up by 3.9 percent from the previous year, according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc.

It said the figure is the fifth highest since 2000 when comparable figures started being kept. The organization is comprised of four major studios.

The number of people who went to see movies shown in Japan totaled approximately 155.53 million in 2023, up 2.3 percent from the year before.

The top-grossing film was “The First Slam Dunk,” which was released in December 2022 and made 15.87 billion yen. With “One Piece Film: Red” which was released in 2022, securing the No. 1 spot that year, anime films distributed by Toei Co. claimed the top rank for two straight years.

Only three animated films crossed the 10-billion-yen threshold last year.

With the other two titles being “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (14.02 billion yen) and “Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine” (13.88 billion yen), anime films dominated for the first time.

The number of films released in Japan in 2023 came to 1,232, an increase of 89 from the year earlier.

It is the second-highest figure after the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

2023 BOX OFFICE RANKINGS

Japanese films

1. “The First Slam Dunk” (15.87 billion yen)

2. “Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine” (13.88 billion yen)

3. “The Boy and the Heron” (8.84 billion yen)

4. “Kingdom: Flame of Destiny” (5.6 billion yen)

5. “Godzilla Minus One” (5.59 billion yen)

Foreign films

1. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (14.02 billion yen)

2. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (5.43 billion yen)

3. “Avatar: The Way of Water” (4.31 billion yen)

4. “Fast X” (3.83 billion yen)

5. “The Little Mermaid” (3.4 billion yen)

(Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc.)

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