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Yoshizawa Ryo’s Kokuho Breaks Records as Japan’s Highest-Grossing Live-Action Film

Lee Sang Il’s Kokuho Breaks Box Office Records With ¥3.26 Billion Revenue and 2.3 Million Admissions
Lee Sang Il’s Kokuho Surpasses 2.3 Million Admissions, Dominates Japanese Box Office in 2025 (Oricon)

Japanese cinema’s on a roll, folks — Yoshizawa Ryo’s latest blockbuster Kokuho has officially smashed through the charts, raking in a whopping 3.26 billion yen (about £16 million) in just 24 days since hitting screens on the 6th. Over 2.31 million punters have packed cinemas to catch this epic, making it the highest-grossing Japanese live-action release of 2025 so far.

Directed by the ever-reliable Lee Sang Il, Kokuho is a sweeping adaptation of Shūichi Yoshida’s celebrated novel. Yoshizawa (31) slips into the role of Tachibana Kikuo, a lad born into a yakuza clan but adopted by a prestigious kabuki family, dedicating five decades of his life to the world of performance. 

His childhood is brought to life by the talented 15-year-old Kurokawa Soya, who shares the spotlight with Yoshizawa in portraying Kikuo’s journey from tragedy to artistic greatness.

Kokuho Reaches 2.31 Million Viewers, Tops Japanese Live-Action Releases in 2025

Veteran actor Watanabe Ken (65) also steps in as Hanai Hanjirō, the kabuki master who takes Kikuo under his wing after a brutal gang feud robs the boy of his father. Alongside him is Yokohama Ryusei (28), playing the heir apparent Shunsuke Ogaki, with the younger version of the role tackled by 16-year-old Koshiyama Keitatsu.

What’s more, Yoshizawa Ryo and Yokohama Ryusei made serious waves even before release by revealing they’d trained for a year and a half under kabuki legend Nakamura Ganjirō (66) to nail those authentic movements and gestures. That dedication is paying off, big time.

The hype isn’t stopping at Japan’s shores, either. Kokuho has already locked in screenings across nine international markets, including France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Plus, it’ll be getting the red-carpet treatment this week at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

Full list of records achieved so far:

✅ Highest-grossing live-action Japanese film released in 2025.

✅ Total box office revenue of 3.26 billion yen (approx. £16 million) in 24 days.

✅ 2.31 million cumulative admissions within 24 days.

✅ Fastest Japanese live-action film in 2025 to surpass 1 billion yen in revenue.

✅ Confirmed releases in 9 overseas markets (including France, Switzerland, Netherlands, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and more). 

✅ Official selection for the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival. 

✅ Widely acclaimed for its authentic kabuki performances, after 1.5 years of cast training under Nakamura Ganjirō

To put it bluntly, Kokuho isn’t just a hit — it’s a cultural event, and Yoshizawa’s performance looks set to stay in the public imagination for a good while yet. One for the history books, no question.

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