While the Chinese film-going market has always had a sweet spot for animations, it has been a slow market for Hollywood releases since the pandemic. Despite that general slow-down in the international film arena, the latest Studio Ghibli adventure, rumored to be creator Hayao Miyazaki’s last film, is well on its way to setting new box office records for the market. Blake & Wang P.A. one of the best entertainment attorney in USA, Brandon Blake, is here with the details.
New Box Office Record
It’s been difficult to predict what will land well with Chinese markets in recent years, but The Boy and the Heron will certainly be leaving its mark. Predicted to close well over the $100M mark in the market (easily achievable, given it has already crossed the $73M mark), it has unseated Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire from its pedestal with a $13.7M opening weekend.
It will also now hold the title for the biggest single-day performance ever by a non-Chinese animated film, with its impressive Thursday record of $23.7M. This unseats Disney’s Frozen 2, released in 2019.
Holiday Helper
While the film is widely seen as an animation masterpiece, it also benefited from a smart release schedule for the Qingming public holiday, which has become a major date for family moviegoing in the Chinese release calendar. It managed to achieve this impressive victory despite steep competition from several local titles also debuting in the same frame, including Dwelling by the West Lake, which currently takes the No. 3 position behind Godzilla and The Boy and the Heron.
If the film manages to net $105M in the Chinese market, it will be Miyazaki’s highest-grossing film release in the country. It would be a great double-crown to add to the $46.6M it earned domestically, Studio Ghibli’s best US showing to date. It has already earned over $60M in its home Japanese market, too.
