Densha Otoko, an unexpected hit

Densha Otoko which was made from a best-selling novel of 600,000 copies has become a bigger hit than expected. It is expected to break the initial aim of 2 billion yen in ticket sales with the No.1 ranking in last week's ranking. Considering that the movie is mainly shown in cinemas which are smaller in size, every session is a full-house and 60 to 70% of the moviegoers are ladies in their teens and 20s.

The cast is deemed to be one of the biggest attractions for the moviegoers. Nakatani Miki was selected to play the heroine since the real-life character was said to resemble her. As for Yamada, he's very popular with female fans in their 20s and regarded as a good actor who did well as an otaku shonen. In addition, the timing of the movie release is after the comic release but before the drama release in July thus contributing to the robust sales figures. Even the movie's distribution company also expressed amazement at how popular the movie has become in such a short time.

Translated by Erin
Source: Gendai Net