Hayao Miyazaki's acclaimed anime
film "The Boy and the Heron,"
which is considered his swan song and has won an Oscar, has made a remarkable
debut at the Chinese box office. The film, produced by the renowned Studio
Ghibli, premiered in China and quickly became a major success.
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| The Boy and the Heron' COURTESY OF GKIDS |
On its opening day, "The Boy and the Heron" grossed $13.7 million (RMB 99.1 million), surpassing the previous box office leader, Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," which earned $5.2 million.
The film continued its strong
performance, setting a new record on Thursday for the highest single-day
earnings by a non-Chinese animated film, with $23.7 million (RMB 171.5
million). Disney Animation's "Frozen
2" previously held this record with RMB 167.6 million in ticket sales
on November 23, 2019.
"The Boy and the Heron" strategically premiered midweek to
coincide with China's Qingming public holiday, which fell on Thursday that
year. The Qingming holiday, traditionally a time for honoring ancestors, has
evolved into a significant family moviegoing occasion in the Chinese film
industry calendar.
Alongside "The Boy and the Heron," several
local titles, including Gu Xiaogang's drama "Dwelling by the West Lake," also opened during this period.
"Dwelling by the West Lake"
debuted in third place with $2.7 million, trailing behind "Godzilla x Kong."
The ticketing app Maoyan predicts that "The Boy and the Heron" will exceed $105 million in earnings in China, potentially making it Miyazaki's highest-grossing film in the country. This success mirrors the film's performance in North America, where it grossed $46.6 million, becoming Studio Ghibli's highest-grossing film in that region.
"The Boy and the Heron" premiered in Japan in July 2023 and has
earned $61 million to date. With its success in China, it is poised to become
the film's largest single market worldwide.
In recent years, Japanese anime has
become increasingly popular among Chinese filmgoers, arguably surpassing
Hollywood tentpole films as their favorite international film category. In
2022, Makoto Shinkai's anime film "Suzume"
grossed $114 million in China, while Toei Animation's "The First Slam Dunk" brought in $93
million. The only film to outperform these anime hits was Universal's "Fast X," which earned $138.7
million. Other releases from U.S. studios lagged far behind in comparison.
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