Chiikawa's First Movie Is Already on Its Fifth Theater Gift
The fifth gift is a 52-page booklet
Chiikawa began as a manga the illustrator Nagano posts on X (formerly Twitter), and this film is the first time it has been made into a movie. Its Japanese title means 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island', and the English here is a translation of that title.
According to the Japanese film site Cinema Today, the fifth theater gift is a 52-page booklet called the 'Himitsu Bon' (secret book). From September 19 it goes out in limited quantities at theaters showing the film across Japan.
Inside are new illustrations and manga drawn by Nagano. It also carries the story illustrations Nagano drew while planning the storyline this film adapts, commonly called the 'Siren arc', plus a newly written essay by Nagano.
The first and fourth gifts are random charm figures
The first gift, handed out from opening day on July 24, was a mini charm figure. It is a special movie design you can hang on a bag or an umbrella, and you got one of eight characters at random.
From August 8 the second gift was a sheet of Bonbon Drop stickers, one per person. The third gift, 'Gokigen Siren', was handed out until September 4 at theaters that still had stock.
The fourth gift, from September 5, is a mini charm figure again, this time one of four characters from the film at random. The film site Eiga.com reported that this is the first time these four characters have appeared as a theater gift.
One per person, per showing
Going by the rules published with the first gift, you receive it as you enter the screening room, not before you go in or after you come out. Even if you hold several seat tickets for the same showing, it is one per person.
Because the gifts are random, you cannot pick which one you get, and the notice asks people not to trade inside the theater. Quantities are limited, so each theater stops once it runs out, and reselling or copying the contents is prohibited.
10 million moviegoers in 52 days
According to Cinema Today, by September 13, day 52 of its run, the film had taken 14.66 billion yen at the box office and drawn 10 million moviegoers. An Eiga.com article on August 31 gave 12.2 billion yen and 8.49 million people for the 38 days to August 30.
4DX screenings began on September 5, and the first cheering screening, where the audience can cheer along, was held on September 11. In Eiga.com's Japanese box office ranking article on September 14, Chiikawa stayed at number one by admissions.
The not-knowing-what-you'll-get feeling, here too
If you like the moment before you see which random gift you got, try DoYouBox's Pixel Monster. Type a word and your own pixel monster is born, and the same word always gives you the same monster.
My Inner Animal Test tells you which animal is most like you after 8 questions. Both are games DoYouBox made itself, with no connection to Chiikawa.