Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron might have won the Academy Award at this year’s Oscars for Best Animated Picture, but Hayao Miyazaki’s latest isn’t finished at the box office. Recently arriving in Chinese theaters, the film was able to dethrone Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire at the box office and bring in some serious profits. Based on its current trajectory, Ghibli’s latest blockbuster might be looking to top six figures in China alone.
Videos by ComicBook.com
If The Boy And The Heron were to bring in over six figures, this would put it over the top for the other film that brought Ghibli home an Academy Award in Spirited Away. Spirited Away ended its Chinese theatrical run making over $69 million USD in the country, meaning that The Boy And The Heron might surpass that quite quickly as How Do You Live’s opening day has pulled in around $37 million USD in its first two days. When it comes to the worldwide tally as of today, China is helping bolster the box office take as Miyazaki’s latest movie is sitting with around $173 million USD.
The Boy And The Heron Reigns At The Box Office
The Studio Ghibli movie set its release date at the perfect time to reap some major profits, as China is currently celebrating the “Qingming” holiday for the public. While Ghibli hasn’t revealed plans for what the future holds in terms of animated projects, director Hayao Miyazaki has stated that he is hoping to work on more animated films despite his previous commitment to retiring.
If you haven’t had the chance to catch the latest award-winning film from Ghibli, here’s how publisher GKIDs describes the film, “After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.”
Do you think The Boy And The Heron will become Ghibli’s most profitable film to date? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Ghibli.
