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The Samurai and the Prisoner

The live-action adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa's novel The Samurai and the Prisoner is in its fourth weekend of theatrical release in Japan, having dropped from #4 to #5 at the box office.

Synthesized from 4 Yomimono stories · updated Jul 20

The live-action adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa's novel The Samurai and the Prisoner opened in Japanese theaters in late June or early July 2026. In its opening weekend, the film did not crack the top three, as the Sgt. Frog 20th anniversary film and the 37th Anpanman film debuted at #4 and #5 respectively. By its third weekend, The Samurai and the Prisoner had climbed to #4, earning enough to hold that position as Sgt. Frog opened at #10 and Anpanman held at #5.

In its fourth weekend, the film fell to #5, earning 56,289,900 yen. The 4K restoration of Kiki's Delivery Service rose to #7, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie re-entered the top 10 at #9. A new entry, SHIBOYUGI: Cloudy Beach, debuted at #11. The film's festival run extends beyond Japan: it will screen at the Ottawa International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and New Zealand International Film Festival in 2026, alongside Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3 and the We Are Aliens anime film.

Key facts

Source material
Honobu Yonezawa's novel
Format
Live-action film
Box office rank (fourth weekend)
#5
Fourth weekend earnings
56,289,900 yen
Festival screenings (2026)
Ottawa International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Release
live_action · 2026 · Canada, Australia, New Zealand · 2026-07-20
Release
live_action · 2026-07-20 · Japan · 2026-07-20

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/the-samurai-and-the-prisoner. CC BY 4.0.

All coverage

Jul 20

Live-Action The Samurai and the Prisoner Drops to #5, SHIBOYUGI Debuts at #11 in Japan

The live-action adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa's novel The Samurai and the Prisoner fell from #4 to #5 in its fourth weekend, earning 56,289,900 yen. The 37th Anpanman film dropped to #6, while the 4K restoration of Kiki's Delivery Service rose to #7. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie re-entered the top 10 at #9. SHIBOYUGI: Cloudy Beach debuted at #11.