Film of the Day: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
ADVERTISMENT

MOVIE

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

 1983
 123 minutes (2 hrs 03 mins)
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
CAST & DIRECTORBOX OFFICE DATAGLOBAL RELEASESTOP GROSSINGNEWS

Director and Cast Quickview

Directed by

Nagisa Oshima

Starring

David Bowie · Tom Conti · Ryuichi Sakamoto · Takeshi Kitano · Jack Thompson · Johnny Ohkura

Full cast & crew

Release dates

US release date US release
2nd September 1983
France release date France release
11th May 1983
Japan release date Japan release
28th May 1983

Box Office Quickview

US box office

  • Box Office debut: 26th Aug '83
  • Debut position: 15
  • Highest position: 15
  • Debut gross: $99.2 Thousand
  • Total chart weeks: 1

Chart position history

UK box office

US box office

26 Aug, 1983
15

Global box office

Certificates

US
R

Total grosses

UK total gross
United Kingdom Flag  £0
US total gross
United States Flag  $99.2 Thousand
Global total gross
Global Flag  $0

25thframe.co.uk stats

News from around the web
“We never wanted David to write the score. It would have been a cliché”: Why Ryuichi Sakamoto’s spellbinding theme from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence remains so captivating  MusicRadar Wed, 10th June 2026

"The Last Emperor", "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" Producer Jeremy Thomas Passed Away!  Cinema Daily US Sun, 13th September 2026

Keeping Score: Ryuichi Sakamoto’s haunting take on a ‘Merry Christmas’  Far Out Magazine Wed, 26th November 2025

Last Night I Watched: Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence  The Boar Sat, 15th January 2022

Review: ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’, The Best Christmas Film You’ve Never Seen | by Reece Beckett | Counter Arts  Medium Mon, 11th December 2023

David Bowie Gave An Acting Masterclass In One Of The Best Anti-War Movies Ever Made  SlashFilm Sun, 13th September 2026