Top 10 Grossing Asian Films of 2011
Beyond Wonderland w/ the homies, It was rainy!...
Beyond Wonderland w/ the homies, It was rainy! But all good. Can’t wait for next event! ;D
10. Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (Jo-Seon Myeong-Tam-Jeong)
Total Foreign Grossing: $31,799,169
Total Grossing in South Korea: $32,325,907
IMDb rating: 6.4
The Nation of Je-Seon is held in fear by a series of mysterious murders. It is up to her top detective, Detective K to solve them. Along his journey to the answers, he meets an unsuspecting companion, Han Seo Pil.
Together they meet a successful businesswoman Han Gaek Ju, who holds the key to this dark mystery that will shake the very foundation of the nation.
Starring: Myeong-min Kim, Dal-su Oh, Ji-min Han, Jae-yong Lee, Hyeon
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9. Shaolin (Xin Shao Lin Si)
Total Foreign Grossing: $33,596,775
Total Grossing in Hong Kong: $66,099
IMDb rating: 6.7
Directed by Benny Chan, ‘Shaolin’ is set in early Republican China in Dengfeng, Henan, where neighboring warlords wage war for control of China. After defeating a rival warlord, Hao Jie chases his fleeing adversary to a Shaolin temple where he guns him down, but before leaving the temple he mocks the monks. His victory is short lived and his life is thrown into turmoil when his family is murdered. Having to face his own pride and arrogance, Hao returns to the Shaolin temple where he lives in hiding. Outside the temple walls, China is falling deeper into the grips of war and Hao and the Shaolin master conceive a plan to stand up to the evil Warlords.
Starring: Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Bingbing Fan and Jackie Chan
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8. Gantz: Perfect Answer
Total Foreign Grossing: $33,607,272
Total Grossing in Japan: $33,378,866
IMDb rating: 6.4
Based on the Manga & Anime ‘Gants’, ‘Perfect Answer’ follows the events of the first movie; ‘Gants’ released early 2011. We continue to follow the story of Kei Kurono who was hit by a train after he and a friend tried to save a man who fell on the train tracks. To their surprise they wake up in a room with a mysterious black ball, which gives them incredible suits (suits that do what?) and weapons of power and sends them on missions (remove space) to kill alien refugees living as people. But this purgatory is no game. If they die in their mission no second chance awaits them. If they return victors they can earn enough points to either choose a prize or bring back someone from the dead. When Kei’s friend dies he vows to bring him back, but now Kei must choose between the woman he loves and completing the final mission to bring his friend back.
Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Ken’ichi Matsuyama and Yuriko Yoshitaka
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7. SP (Security Police): The Motion Picture Kakumei Hen
Total Grossing in Japan: $40,242,318
IMDb rating: 6.6
For 2 months members of the Japanese Metropolitan Police department have been trying to uncover the identity of a terrorist group behind the attacks made on Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Soichiro Ogata. As distrust grows among the ruling party and elite bureaucrats, it becomes clear that the Metropolitan Police Department is running out of time and Soichiro’s life is in grave peril.
Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Yû Kamio and Yôko Maki
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6. Sutekina Kanashibari – Once in a Blue Moon
International English Title: A Ghost of a Chance
Total Foreign Grossing: $41,316,298
Total Grossing in Japan: $45,499,863
IMDb rating: 6
Emi Hosho is a struggling lawyer who is hired to defend a man accused of murder. However she gets more than she bargains for when she discovers that the only witness who can confirm her client’s alibi is a 500-year old ghost! Her adventure becomes even stranger when she travels to find the ghost and pleads with him to testify in court.
Starring: Toshiyuki Nishida, Kyôko Fukada and Eri Fukatsu
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5. Meitantei Conan: Chinmoku no Kuôtâ (Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence)
Total Foreign Grossing: $42,032,764
Total Grossing in Japan: $38,010,276
IMDb rating: 6.4
‘Detective Conan: Quarter of silence’ is the 15th installment in a series of movies that cover the journeys of a brilliant detective trapped in a child’s body. The name “Quarter of silence” comes from the fact that when trapped in an avalanche a person’s chances of survival plummet from 92%-30% after the first 15 minutes.
The story begins when an attack is made on the governor of Tokyo’s life and a subway tunnel is blown up. Detective Conan’s investigations lead him to a village relocated for the construction of a dam where he learns that there might be a connection between the attacks. A race against time begins to stop the criminal mastermind before the next attack.
Starring: Minami Takayama, Wakana Yamazaki and Rikiya Koyama
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4. Choijongbyunggi Hwal (Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon)
Total Foreign Grossing: $45,827,299
Total Grossing in South Korea: $50,295,031
IMDb rating: 7.1
Nam-Yi a traitor to his kinsman and one of the finest archers in the Joseon district lives to keep his sister Ja-In, the apple of his eye safe from harm. On the day of her wedding to her childhood sweetheart Seo-Goon, the invading Chinese army-Qing, captures Ja-In. Taking the legendary bow that his father left to him, Nam-Yi leaving the destruction of his village behind him, sets out to rescue his sister and fellow kinsman from slavery and restore his honor.
Starring: Hae-il Park, Seung-yong Ryoo and Moon Chae-Won
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3. Kokuriko-Zaka Kara (From Up on Poppy Hill)
Total Foreign Grossing: $52,098,325
Total Grossing in Japan: $56,029,615
IMDb rating: 7.7
Ladies and gentlemen, Studio Chiblli’s latest movie! ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’ was directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro Miyazaki. The story is set in Japan, 18 years after the destruction of WWII. With the economy recovering and the Olympics approaching the nation is celebration it’s rebirth out of the ashes. The world seems new and it is time to throw out the old and embrace the new. For a group of teens the world does not seem so bright. Their old school’s clubhouse, built in the Meiji period, filled with memories and love is set to be demolished in preparation for the Olympics. The group of teens are forced to face the question, “is this part of the bright future that we’re hoping for?”
Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada and Keiko Takeshita
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2. Gekijouban Pokketo Monsutâ Besuto Wisshu: Pikuchini to Kuroku Eiyuu Zekuromu (Pokemon: Best Wishes)
Total Foreign Grossing: $52,984,249
Total Grossing in Japan: $53,387,786
IMDb rating: 5.4
This 14th installment of the Pokemon movie series is set in the city of Eindoak, where we join our heroes Ash, Iris and Cilan, who arrive to celebrate the Harvest festival and the Pokemon tournament. However they are about to discover, there is a threat that has been growing under shadow. Long ago Eindoak was ruled by the Kingdom of the People of the Vale, and the only evidence of their empire now is the Sword of the Vale. Unbeknownst to our heroes a surviving descendant of this mighty nation is plotting to use the Sword of the Vale to revive his people. It is up to Ash and his friends to stop him and save Eindoak from certain destruction.
Starring: Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Ootani and Hideki Takahashi
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1. Hankyu Densha
Total Foreign Grossing: $118,799,256
Total Grossing in Japan: $11,879,956
IMDb rating: 6.0
‘Hankyu Densh’ follows the story of a train and how the lives of those who ride on its 15-minute trips between stations are changed forever. We watch an office worker, a colleague student, a grandmother, a housewife and how other passengers lives are changed by their interactions with each other.
Starring: Erika Toda, Kaho Minami and Miki Nakatani
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Well, there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed this post. If you are interested in Asian cinema, but don’t know what’s good out there, these movies are quite a good place to start. Happy movie watching!
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