Weekend Japan Box Office Top Ten - 2007/12/15 ~ 2007/12/16

1 I Am Legend (Warner Bros.)
2 Mari To Koinu No Monogatari (A Tale of Mari and Her Three Puppies; Toho)
3 Eiga De toujyo! Tamagochi Doki Doki! Uchu No Maigochi!? (Our Movie Debut! Exciting Tamagochi! Lost In Space!?; Toho)
4 Koizora (Toho)
5 Always Zoku: San Cho Me No Yuhi (Always - Series: Setting Sun on 3rd Avenue; Toho)
6 Surf's Up (Sony Pictures)
7 Tsubaki Sanjuro (Toho)
8 Smile-Seiya No Kiseki (Smile-Holy Night of Miracles; Toho)
9 Beowulf (WB)
10 The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal Pictures; Jp Distributor Toho-Towa)

Will Smith is making his mark not only in the US but in Japan as well as his latest film "I Am Legend" debuts at the top spot this past weekend. Last week's number one, Inomata Yuiichi's "Mari To Koinu Monogatari" drops one to number two while Yamazaki Takashi's "Always Zoku: San Cho Me No Yuhi" and Imai Natsuki's "Koizora" continue to hold strong in the top five.

As the "oshogatsu" (New Year season) begins to approach, a number of family films enter the top ten including Shimura Joji's "Eiga De toujyo! Tamagochi Doki Doki! Uchu No Maigochi!?" (Our Movie Debut! Exciting Tamagochi! Lost In Space!?), the Ash Brannon/Chris Buck CGI movie "Surf's Up" and actor Jinnai Takanori's directorial debut "Smile-Seiya No Kiseki" (Holy Night of Miracles).

Films that will be making their road-show debut in Japan in the following weeks include Jon Turteltaub's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (in Japan retitled - National Treasure: Lincoln Ansatsusha No Nikki/Dairy of Lincoln's Assassin; 12/21), Mira Nair's "The Namesake" (in Japan retitled - Sono Na Ni Chinande/In That Name We Place Our Hope; 12/22) and Eran Kolirin's "The Band's Visit" (in Japan retitled - Maigo No Keisatsu Ongakutai/The Lost Police Band; 12/22).

Here are the box office receipts for the weekend.

Film Title---------------Earnings this week/Total thus far (USD)----Weeks in play----No. of Screens
1 I Am Legend (WB)-----------------$5,154,577/$6,403,584-----------------------1-----------422
2 Mari To Koinu (Toho)-------------$2,096,162/$6,610,125-----------------------2-----------333
3 Tamagochi (Toho)-----------------$1,117,182/$1,117,182------------------------1----------283
4 Koizora (Toho)----------------$782,346/$30,355,745------------------------------7-----------281
5 Always (Toho)--------------------$732,274/$34,035,726--------------------------7-----------329
6 Surf's Up------------------------$664,373/$664,373----------------------------------1-----------283
7 Tsubaki Sanjuro (Toho)--------$565,582/$5,324,651--------------------------3------------325
8 Beowulf (WB)------------------$479,713/$5,515,304------------------------------3------------268
9 Smile (Toho)------------------$457,878/$457,878-----------------------------------1-----------229
10 The Bourne Ultimatum (Toho-Towa)-$240,207/$14,110,195-------------6------------304