The wildly popular Japanese drama series "The Solitary Gourmet," starring Yutaka Matsushige as protagonist Goro Inogashira, has been a household name since its debut in 2012, with new seasons airing almost every year until 2024. Now, the franchise has finally dropped its first-ever feature film, "The Solitary Gourmet" movie, which premiered on January 10.
Just a week after its release, despite opening in a relatively limited number of theaters, the movie has already drawn a massive crowd of fans. Audiences are raving about the film's entertainment value, fueling incredible word-of-mouth and leading to packed cinemas nationwide.
With only 256 screens, the film's box office performance is nothing short of impressive. By January 13 (just four days into its run), it had already raked in over 300 million yen, with projections for continued growth looking strong. This is particularly noteworthy given that it's competing with last year's late-December release, "La Grande Maison Paris," starring Takuya Kimura.
During a promotional interview, Matsushige himself jokingly quipped, "If the box office bombs, I'm retiring." He's often expressed his bewilderment at the series' enduring popularity and frequently laments the grueling filming schedule, joking that the stress is "shortening his lifespan."
Fans, however, are having none of it! They've playfully trolled the star, saying, "The biggest hater of this show is the lead actor himself, trying to use a box office flop as an excuse to retire! But us fans won't let these haters win! I'm going to watch it three times a week to show my full support!" It's a hilarious jab at Matsushige, implying he's secretly rooting for failure so he can finally hang up his hat XD.
Netizens are also jokingly calling Matsushige – who serves as star, director, and screenwriter – the series' biggest "anti-fan." They claim there's probably no other project where the lead actor is also its biggest hater! "We absolutely cannot let Matsushige quit!" they declare. "He must never give up! Matsushige's fans will defend him to the death!"
Despite the limited screen count, fans report that tickets are incredibly hot commodities, making it tough to snag good seats. This just goes to show that the film's popularity is undeniable, and it looks like the box office won't be as "bad" as Matsushige might have hoped XD.
Matsushige has also embarked on a promotional tour across various theaters, with many fans eagerly hoping to catch a glimpse of him in person.
Following its release, "The Solitary Gourmet" movie has been met with widespread acclaim from Japanese audiences. With its current buzz and popularity, it's estimated to easily surpass 1 billion yen at the box office. Who knows, we might even see it hit theaters in other regions soon!
via： togetter