"Kokuho" Earns 20 B. Yen at Japan Box Office

Tokyo, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese film "Kokuho" had earned 20,008.51 million yen at the box office in Japan as of Sunday, film distributor Toho Co. said Monday.

Released in June last year, the film continued to extend its own all-tine record for Japanese live-action movies, which it set last November.

According to movie information provider Kogyo Tsushinsha, Kokuho now ranks 10th among all-time box office hits in Japan, including Western films and anime, overtaking Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's 2004 anime film "Howl's Moving Castle," which earned 19.6 billion yen.

Directed by Lee Sang-il, Kokuho, which means "national treasure" in Japanese, is a film adaptation of Shuichi Yoshida's novel of the same name, depicting the turbulent life of a Kabuki actor devoted to his art.

Three individuals, including Kyoko Toyokawa, have been nominated for Academy Awards in the Makeup and Hairstyling category. The award ceremony will be held in March.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]