"Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno," the live action film version of the popular manga series (and anime series) opened at number one earlier this month in Japan. With the wild success of the previous film in the franchise and the announcement of the final installment due out September, will U.S. fans be able to experience the epic samurai story at their own movie theaters?

As reported by Anime News Network in the film's first three days, "'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' sold 645,086 tickets for 822,734,430 yen (about US$8 million). In the process, it garnered the biggest opening of any Japanese live-action film this year." Even now in its third week in theaters, it has increased its revenue to a total of 31,210,644 yen, currently number 3 in the Japan box office.

This success is followed by the film's release in the Philippines, the first Asian country to receive the film other than Japan. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the film lives up to the hype as indicated by the applause and cheers at the August 6th premiere. The review itself goes on to say that overall, "'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno'" is a good balance of action, drama and comedy."

The success in both Japan and the Philippines seem to point to a possible "Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno" U.S. release. It helps that the film is already owned by Warner Bros. Japan, so at least U.S. fans won't have to wait for the film to be purchased by an U.S. film company. But if the review from Variety counts for anything, the running time may have to be cut down before the film is confirmed for U.S. audiences.

As "Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno" continues to gain attention internationally, all signs point to a good chance that the film to find a U.S. release. In the meantime, if you can afford a random trip to Japan, the final installment "Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends" opens on September 13th.