The First Slam Dunk Japanese animation movie dominated the South Korean box office over the weekend, soaring to the top spot and leaving “Avatar: The Way of Water” way behind. With its impressive performance, it’s clear to see that this film is not just a one-hit-wonder. It has only gotten stronger with each passing week, growing its week-on-week performance by a remarkable 10% in its fifth weekend since release.
The movie’s incredible journey to the top is a true testament to its enduring popularity and enduring success. Just seven days prior, the competition between the two leading titles was intense. The Korean box office charts, which measure success by ticket sales, crowned “The First Slam Dunk” as the champion. But when it came to the amount of money earned, “Avatar 2” emerged as the king of the box office, raking in the highest gross receipts.
The weekend was a slam dunk for “The First Slam Dunk,” as it shattered the box office with a whopping $2.89 million from a sold-out audience of 276,000 fans. Meanwhile, “Avatar 2” struggled to keep up, collecting only $1.35 million from a stingy 114,000 ticket sales. It’s clear that “The First Slam Dunk” emerged victorious, dominating the competition and scoring a clear win.
“The First Slam Dunk” has been climbing high as a hit performer in Japan and across Asia. In Korea, it has maintained a strong and steady performance, consistently bringing in between $2 million and $3 million for five straight weekends. With a total of $19.4 million since its release on Jan. 4, this film has made a lasting impact on the Korean market.
The weekend box office results for January are as follows: “The Point Men” came in third place, briefly surpassing “Avatar 2” in mid-January. With weekend earnings of $745,000, the film has accumulated a total of $13.1 million after three weekends in theatres. However, the star of the weekend was the highly anticipated concert film “BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas,” which opened to a whopping $576,000 in its first five days and brought in a total of $1.06 million.
About The First Slam Dunk Movie and its Plot
This electrifying 2022 Japanese animated sports film, written and directed by the legendary Takehiko Inoue, showcases the explosive energy of basketball. This film is based on the timeless classic Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga series and was created by the powerhouse production teams at Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio. The first Slam Dunk movie was released on December 3, 2022, in Japan.
The plot of the movie follows Ryota Miyagi, the energetic point guard of Shohoku High School’s basketball team. The frame then shifts to his older brother, Sota, who stands three years taller than Ryota. Sota’s love for the game of basketball radiates and inspires Ryota to follow in his footsteps.
As the story progresses, Ryota and his powerhouse teammates—Hanamichi Sakuragi, Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui, and Kaede Rukawa—step onto the court, ready to face the reigning interscholastic basketball champions, the Sanno school. The energy in the arena builds as the two teams prepare for the ultimate showdown.
The First Slam Dunk Short Review
If you’ve never been a fan of basketball and you’ve never picked up a Slam Dunk manga, you should still give this movie a chance. What you see is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every player on the court radiates a fiery passion fueled by their troubled pasts and relentless training. It’s almost as if you’re watching a motivational speech come to life.
The music perfectly complements each scene, painting a picture with every beat. And while the CGI may make you nauseous for the first ten minutes, it eventually blends into the background, enhancing the action-packed court scenes. Even if you are not a fan of animated movies, you can still give a try to this movie.
Those who have watched and read “The First Slam Dunk” manga maybe be quite disappointed because there are so many things that the movie didn’t cover. So, if you’re not deathly allergic to CGI, I urge you to give this film a chance, whether it’s for nostalgia or to witness a heart-pounding shounen. You won’t regret it.
