Japanese films, Q4 2024: the quarter in review

Released on December 13 by Warner Bros. Inside the bodies of a healthy daughter, Niko Urushizaki (Mana Ashida), and her father Shigeru (Sadao Abe), who lives an irregular lifestyle, cells struggle to do their jobs, a story intercut with the human world. It is based on Akane Shimizu's manga Cells at Work! and the spin-off Cells at Work! Code Black (story by Shigemitsu Harada, art by Issei Hatsuyoshiya, supervised by Akane Shimizu), and was directed by Hideki Takeuchi from a screenplay by Yuichi Tokunaga. Mei Nagano plays Red Blood Cell and Takeru Satoh plays White Blood Cell.

With 6.36 billion yen, it ranked fifth among Japanese films in the association's 2025 tally. Among Japanese live-action films released in 2024, only Kingdom: Return of the Great General grossed more.

Released on December 30 by Toho and Sony Pictures. It is the film version of the TBS drama La Grande Maison Tokyo (2019), with an original screenplay newly written for the film. Chef Natsuki Obana (Takuya Kimura) opens the French restaurant "Grande Maison Paris" in Paris and sets out to become the first Asian to earn three Michelin stars in France. Ayuko Tsukahara directed from a screenplay by Tsutomu Kuroiwa. Kyoka Suzuki, Yuta Tamamori, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Ikki Sawamura and Yoshinori Masakado star, and Ok Taec-yeon plays Rick Yuan.

With 4.20 billion yen, it ranked ninth among Japanese films in the association's 2025 tally. Both films Ayuko Tsukahara directed in 2024 (Last Mile and Grande Maison Paris) grossed more than 4 billion yen. It opened in South Korea on August 27, 2025.

Released on December 6 by Toho. The first film and the finale of TV Asahi's drama series Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, which began in 2012, it depicts for the first time the birth of freelance surgeon Michiko Daimon (Ryoko Yonekura) and her life up to that point. Naoki Tamura directed from a screenplay by Miho Nakazono. Kei Tanaka, Yuki Uchida, Mio Imada, Ittoku Kishibe and Toshiyuki Nishida star, and Shota Sometani plays a dual role.

With 3.28 billion yen, it ranked 12th among Japanese films in the association's 2025 tally. It is the final film of Toshiyuki Nishida, who died on October 17, 2024, ahead of its release.

A two-part spin-off marking the return of the Bayside Shakedown series after 12 years. Part one, Shinji Muroi: Not Defeated, opened on October 11, and part two, Shinji Muroi: Stay Alive, on November 15 (with advance screenings November 8–10), both distributed by Toho. A mysterious girl appears before Shinji Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba), who has left the police and is raising the children of crime victims and perpetrators in the Akita countryside. Katsuyuki Motohiro directed from a screenplay by Ryoichi Kimizuka, and Riko Fukumoto plays An Hyuga.

In the association's tally as of the end of January 2025, part one had grossed 1.89 billion yen and part two 1.70 billion yen. Both are provisional figures from a point when the films were still in theaters.

Released on November 29 by Shochiku. Keiichi Kaburagi (Ryusei Yokohama), a young man sentenced to death for the murder of a family, escapes from prison and flees, changing his appearance and name, while detective Seigo Matanuki (Takayuki Yamada) pursues him. Based on Tamehito Somei's novel, which was also adapted as a WOWOW drama in 2022, it was directed by Michihito Fujii, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kazuhisa Kodera. Riho Yoshioka, Shintaro Morimoto and Anna Yamada co-star, and the theme song is Yorushika's "Taiyo."

At the 48th Japan Academy Film Prize it received Awards of Excellence in 12 categories, the most of any film, and won Best Director (Michihito Fujii), Best Actor (Ryusei Yokohama) and Best Supporting Actress (Riho Yoshioka). It also won Best Film at the Hochi Film Awards, and Ryusei Yokohama won Best Lead Performance at the Mainichi Film Awards. The film did not appear on the association's list of films grossing at least 1 billion yen. After its overseas release on Netflix, it ranked No. 7 worldwide among non-English films in the week ending February 9, 2025.