The Boy and the Heron Becomes Studio Ghibli's Highest Grossing Film at the North American Box Office

Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron has earned an estimated $23.4 million according to theater reports, following its second weekend in theaters. The film is now Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s highest grossing film released in North America, exceeding Ponyo ($15.7 million), as well as the highest grossing original (non-franchise IP) Japanese animated feature in North America – the record of which was previously held by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty, which ended at $19.5 million in local box office. The Boy and the Heron will continue to play in North American theaters through the holidays.

GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of award-winning animation from around the globe, released The Boy and the Heron in cinemas and IMAX nationwide on December 8, 2023. The film is the first title in the Studio Ghibli catalogue to be released in IMAX premium formats. The Boy and the Heron was released in its original Japanese with English subtitles, as well as a new English language version, which features the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.

The film recently received nominations for Best Feature – Animated and Best Original Score at the Golden Globes, as well as a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Critic’s Choice Awards. It has been awarded Best Animated Feature at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, Chicago Film Critics Association, and Boston Film Critics Association. It has received additional honors from the National Board of Review as one of the “Top 10 Films of the Year,” the Hollywood Creative Alliance, Indiana Film Journalists Association, North Texas Film Critics Association, Phoenix Film Critics Circle and Florida Film Critics Circle.

The Boy and the Heron made its international premiere as Opening Night Gala of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival. Tickets to all five TIFF screenings sold out in record time, and the film received glowing reviews and placed top three for the TIFF People’s Choice Awards. The film made its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival, its European Premiere as the Opening Night of San Sebastian International Film Festival, and made its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. The film was presented in IMAX at LA’s Chinese Theater as Opening Night of the Animation is Film Festival.

The hand-drawn, animated feature – director Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years – is an original story written and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, produced by co-founder Toshio Suzuki, and featuring a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. Its theme song, “Spinning Globe,” was written and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.

GKIDS handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films across all theatrical, home video, digital, and streaming platforms. The company has released Studio Ghibli’s most recent films in theaters nationwide, including the Academy Award-nominated The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, the Academy Award-nominated When Marnie Was There, From Up on Poppy Hill and more. Since 2017, GKIDS has produced the annual Ghibli Fest, a monthly nationwide theatrical program of Studio Ghibli film screenings in over 800 theaters across the country. The series set new box office records this year with a focus on the films of Hayao Miyazaki.

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https://gkids.com/films/the-boy-and-the-heron/