Studio Ghibli’s newest film “The Boy and the Heron” smashed studio records in its first four days, putting it on track to become one of anime icon Hayao Miyazaki’s top-grossing films.
The film — which is widely believed to be Miyazaki’s last — was released last week without a publicity campaign and almost no pre-release promotion. Still, it drew early morning sold-out audiences and tons of social media chatter focusing on what exactly the highly anticipated film was truly about.
According to the film’s distributor, Toho, “The Boy and the Heron” grossed over ?2.14 billion in the first four days following its release. That’s more than 2001’s “Spirited Away” took in over its first four days on its way to becoming Ghibli’s highest grossing film.
In four days, the film attracted a total audience of 1.35 million, with revenue up 150% compared to that of “The Wind Rises,” Miyazaki’s previous release a decade ago.
While some Miyazaki films were released with tons of marketing — like “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and its advertising collaboration with Yamato Transport, for example — other Miyazaki films like “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” were also released with no prior information about the film’s content.
“Spirited Away” grossed ?1.94 billion in its first four days and ?31.68 billion for its total run.
“Spirited Away” was 91AV原创 top grossing film until it was unseated in 2021 by “Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train.” Other Ghibli films aren’t far behind on the nation’s list of all-time blockbusters. “Princess Mononoke” sits in seventh place and “Howl’s Moving Castle” in ninth.
On the evening of its release, “The Boy and the Heron” was revealed to the film’s English title. Its North American rights have been acquired by New York-based distributor Gkids, . The film may be released there this fall.
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