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Crying out Love, in the Center of the World was a huge multimedia success, performing well as a book, TV program, and DVD. It gave rise to a new word in Japanese, formed by abbreviating the first part of the title: Sekachu (“in the center of the world”). Since its theatrical release on May 8, 2004, it has for over 18 consecutive weeks. In a 123-day period, it has drawn 6.2 million filmgoers, and box-office receipts have totaled 8.3 billion yen. It is the fifth-most successful live-action film in Japanese cinema history.

With associated publishing ventures (sales of over 1 million comics, 470,000 copies of the novelized version, and 40,000 DVDs about the making of the film, issued before its first screening), Sekachu has become a model for mixed-media projects building on a movie format and moving beyond it. The original novel has sold over 3 million copies since the movie was released. Although the first edition in 2001 sold only 8,000 copies, it is now the highest-selling novel ever in Japan. A serialization as a drama on the TBS network was very successful. Sekachu is also being launched in South Korea. It scheduled to open across that nation as early as October 2004, and is being remade in a South Korean version.