The film’s total U.S. earnings are estimated at $44,237,878 as of Sunday
Images provided by GKIDS
© 2023 Studio Ghibli
The website Box Office Mojo estimates the total U.S. gross earned by Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature film The Boy and the Heron at $44,237,878 as of Sunday. This makes the film the third highest-grossing anime film in the US, beating Pokémon the Movie 2000, which earned US$43.8 million.
The 1998 animated film Pokémon: The First Movie topped the list of highest-grossing anime with US$85.7 million. Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, released in the US in 2021, ranked second with 49.5 million USD.
Godzilla Minus One and The Boy and the Heron ranked No. 9 and No. 17, respectively, at the U.S. box office last weekend. Godzilla Minus One earned an estimated $2,600,000 and The Boy and the Heron earned $660,932.
Two films were nominated for the 96th Academy Awards. The Boy and the Heron was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, and Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima of Godzilla Minus One received a nomination for Best visual effects. The awards ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on March 10.
The Boy and the Heron won the Best Animated Feature-Film category at the 81st Golden Globe Awards earlier this month. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists awarded the film the Best Animated Feature award in the EDA Awards on December 31. The 78th Mainichi Film Awards announced before the February 14 ceremony that the film will receive the Noburou Oofuji Award, which honors animated works that bring something new. forms of creative expression. The film also received nominations from the Annie Awards (for animation, directing and writing) and the British Academy Film Awards (for animation).
GKIDS licensed The Boy and the Heron and released it in North American theaters on December 8, with a preview commitment on November 22. Screenings include an English dub along with additional features. The screening has Japanese audio and English subtitles.
The film ranked No. 1 in its opening weekend at the US box office, with sales of $12,836,313 in its first three days. Variety Target reported that the film is the “first original anime work” to top the US box office.
The film opened in Japan on July 14 and sold 1.003 million tickets and earned approximately $13.2 million in its first three days of release in Japan. The film sold 1.353 million tickets and grossed 2.149 billion yen (about $15.53 million) over the long weekend from Friday to Monday (July 17 is a Maritime holiday in Japan). It is the 69th highest-grossing film ever in Japan and the third highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 2023 with a total revenue of 8.66 billion yen (about 61.4 million USD).
The film is Studio Ghibli’s first to receive a simultaneous IMAX release. The film is also shown in Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema and DTS:X.
Miyazaki is credited as the author of the original work, in addition to directing the film and writing the script. Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) composed the music. Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man, My Hero AcadeKaren, March Comes in like a Lion) performed the theme song”Chikyūgi”(Globe).
Source: Mojo Box Office