Gundam GQuuuuuuX Surpasses 1st Gundam Trilogy's Finale as Franchise's #2 All-Time Film in Japan
The film has now surpassed the total all-time Japanese earnings of 1982 Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space anime film, which earned 2.3 billion yen (about US$14.88 million in current conversion) at the Japanese box office. This makes the Gundam GQuuuuuuX film the second highest-earning film in the Gundam franchise in Japan, with Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM holding the all-time high of 4,796,455,740 yen (about US$31.05 million) as of its initial run's final weekend in May 2024. If Gundam Seed FREEDOM's special edition screenings later in 2024 are included, that film has earned a cumulative total of 5.38 billion yen (about US$35.5 million).The Gundam GQuuuuuuX film will add "special footage" that tease the story after the film, starting this Saturday. The story of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX centers on Amate Yuzuriha, a high-school student living peacefully in a space colony. When she meets a war refugee named Nyaan, Amate is drawn into the illegal mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battle. Under the entry name "Machu," she throws herself into fierce battle day after day, piloting the GQuuuuuuX. Then an unidentified Gundam mobile suit pursued by both the space force and the police appears before her, along with its pilot, a boy named Shūji.Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL, Gunbuster 2: Diebuster) is directing the anime, and Yōji Enokido (Bungo Stray Dogs, Sailor Moon Super S, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ouran High School Host Club) is supervising the series scripts and writing the scripts with Hideaki Anno (Evangelion, Shin Godzilla). Illustrator Take (Katanagatari, Zaregoto, Pokémon Sun & Moon) is designing the characters, and Ikuto Yamashita (Evangelion, Shin Kamen Rider, Yukikaze) is the mechanical designer. The film debuted at #1 at the Japanese box office. It sold 352,500 tickets and earned 598,832,300 yen (about US$3.83 million) in its first three days. GKIDS acquired the theatrical distribution rights to the film, and it will screen the film in theaters in North America on February 28. This marks the first collaboration between GKIDS and Bandai Namco Filmworks. The film will screen early on IMAX screens for one-night only on February 26. Source: Oricon
