Blue Lock scores NT$13 million in Taiwan, overtaking Gintama

Blue Lock has overtaken Gintama at the Taiwanese box office, turning a live-action football adaptation into the highest-grossing Japanese manga-based film in Taiwan over the past decade. Its local total is approaching NT$13 million, while the Japanese release had exceeded 1.1 billion yen and 780,000 admissions by the previous weekend.

The result marks a new peak for production company CREDEUS, which has also made Kingdom, Gintama, The Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Sakamoto Days. Producer Shinzo Matsuhashi has centered the production on respecting the original manga, translating its characters’ inner struggles into fast-paced action and high-intensity football sequences designed to work even for viewers unfamiliar with the source material.

The cast prepared together at J-Village, a national football training center in Fukushima. For four months, the performers trained, ate and spent their daily lives together, building the kind of familiarity associated with a professional team. Kōta Nomura, who plays Rensuke Kunigami, gained eight kilograms of muscle over six months for the role. He also joked that audiences should watch closely during scenes in which he removes his shirt.

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In terms of determination, I think I am definitely no less than Nagi.

K, a member of &TEAM, made his film-acting debut as the gifted but seemingly unmotivated Seishiro Nagi. He said Nagi may often complain that things are troublesome, but becomes fully committed once he chooses a goal. K also recalled working through a difficult scene with Fumiya Takahashi, who plays Yoichi Isagi. Takahashi encouraged him to try again, helping the two actors develop a strong off-screen rapport despite playing rivals on screen.

The film’s detailed recreation of the manga and its practical football-shot sequences have helped attract both fans and general audiences. Special formats including 4DX, Dolby Cinema, Dolby Vision with Atmos and MX4D add moving seats, tilting, wind, water effects and surround sound. Japanese cast members described the 4DX experience as being like an amusement ride and a game of tag.

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I will do everything I can to come back soon.