Danica Davidson
January 18, 2024 
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron is checking off a number of firsts, and it’s not just the first time an anime has won at the Golden Globes. It is now officially the most successful original anime movie in North America, bringing in about $42 million. And it’s not done earning.
So far the film has brought in £3.9 million (about 4,950,309.00) at the U.K. box office, which is the best a Miyazaki piece has ever done there. In 2003, Spirited Away made £1.1 million in the U.K.; in 2005, Howl’s Moving Castle brought in less, at £999k; and then in 2010 Ponyo brought in even less, at £880k.
Just one anime has ever done better in U.K. and Irish theaters, and that’s 2000’s Pokémon: The First Movie, which snagged £11.7M.
The Boy and the Heron hit Italian theaters earlier this month, and has raked in $4.3 million, which is by and large the best an anime film has done in the country.
It’s also been released in Germany, where its opening did better than all but two other anime movies in the country’s history with Japanese animation.
GKIDS licensed The Boy and the Heron for North America and gave this description for it:
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. Featuring the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.
The Boy and the Heron is the new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years is a hand-drawn, original story written and directed by the Academy Award® -winning director. Produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, the film features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. The theme song for the film “Spinning Globe” was penned and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.
Source: Deadline
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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