'Cliff Part 2' tops Japan box office

Second part of epic wins weekend

By MARK SCHILLING

TOKYO -- "Red Cliff Part 2," the second part of the John Woo period epic, topped the Japanese B.O. for the weekend of April 11-12. According to distrib Avex Entertainment, the pic earned $6.7 million from 524,000 admissions on these two days. Counting its first day take, the pic raked in $8.7 million in its first three days.

 This was about the same start as "Red Cliff Part 1," which went on to finish with $50.5 million following its release in November. Broadcast on the TV Asahi network on April 12, the first part scored a high 19.9 rating, and sold 200,000 units on DVD and Blu-ray since it March 11 release.

 Meanwhile, the Takashi Miike high school gang pic "Crows Zero II" recorded a two-day opening total of $5.7 million from 421,000 admissions, good enough for the No. 2 slot. This was a 143% increase from the opening of "Crows Zero," which finished with $25 million in 2007. Miike helmed both outings.

 Holding onto its No. 3 rank was the school gang dramedy "Drop," while the Takashi Miike action fantasy "Yatterman" fell to No. 4, just short of the $30 million mark. Meanwhile the Oscar-winning drama "Departures" passed the $60 million milestone.