Japan still loves Pok¨Śmon films
Pet-fighting animations make millions.
Pokémon has become the most popular animated cartoon series ever in Japan, as the 11 films combine to gross over JPY 50 billion (GBP 246 million) in the region.
The latest film, Giratina and the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin, was released in mid-July in Japan and has commanded around GBP 16 million. The story is probably about a boy with spiky hair who traps animals in balls and makes them fight each other.
Pokémon films have had a hard time in the West, but coupled with the heap of games based on the franchise and the television cartoon, the franchise is one of the most lucrative in the whole entire world.
Nintendo told us during E3 that the Pokémon franchise had sold 180 million units, which Wikipedia thinks makes the creature-battler second only to Mario in the grand scheme of things.