According to Box Office Mojo the 10th Pokemon movie, Pokemon 2007: Diamond & Pearl, was the fifth most popular film at the Japanese box office during 2007, and the only anime film in the top 10. The latest Pokemon film earned $42.2 million at the box office, which is less than half of what 2007's top release in Japanese theaters, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($91.1 million), brought in, but it represents a major improvement over the performance of the ninth Pokemon film, Pokemon: Licario & Mew, which earned just $26.8 million at theaters in 2006. It appears that in
A number of other anime series that targeted younger audiences did well including Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (#13, $28.6 million), and Dororo (#15, $27 million -- Vertical is publishing the first volume of Tezuka's Dororo manga here in April). The performance of the latest Detective Conan film, which earned $20 million and finished at #20, was down somewhat from its predecessor's, which brought in $25.8 million in 2006. The highest-grossing adult-oriented anime movie was the new Evangelion feature, EVA: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, which demonstrated the strength of the otaku audience by earning $15.3 million and finishing at #25 -- a performance that went well beyond expectations.