KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 21 -- While the rest of the world is sending Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the top of the box office, Japan's moviegoers are flocking to a very different movie.

Don't be fooled by the cutely drawn characters in the poster for Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island.

Japanese viewers of the movie have suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that a reading of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment would be the best way to prepare yourself for the experience.

The film earned Euro990 million (RM25.2 million) on opening day or nearly a billion yen.

From its opening day, Friday, through Sunday the film sold 1,508,500 tickets and grossed Euro2.24 billion.

Of course I was intrigued.

Instead of Dostoevsky, I read the sour...