Pokemon movies earn record box office in Japan

The 11 animated films have taken approximately $455 million in Japan.

Variety reports that the Pokemon series of animated films have collectively broken the 50 billion yen barrier at the Japanese box office. This equates to approximately $455 million.

According to Variety this makes Pokemon the most successful local animated feature series ever.

The first film was released in 1998 and the latest premiered in Japan on July 19, going on to earn $32 million. The series has also seen huge international success, with the first feature earning $85.7 million in the US - a record for a Japanese film.