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On Monday, July 17, 2023, the opening weekend in box office theaters for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron film close, with the production earning over 13 million USD by its end. The film, which is currently available for viewing in Japanese theaters, also set a new three-day opening record for IMAX screens in Japanese theaters offering them.
The Boy and the Heron was recently announced to be licensed by GKIDS, who plans to distribute and release the film in North American theaters later this year. The film opened simultaneously in both IMAX theaters and general release theaters on Friday, July 14, 2023, with no advertising for the film beforehand.
Nevertheless, the draw of Hayao Miyazaki’s name and this film allegedly being his last convinced Japanese moviegoers to flock to theaters for showings of the film. With any luck, Miyazaki and The Boy and the Heron will see continued success in Japan in the coming weeks, as well as in international releases later this year.
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The Boy and the Heron breaks records for Japanese IMAX showings with 1.7 million USD from 44 screens
The news comes from other sources, who have cited The Boy and the Heron’s IMAX screen performance as being record-setting for a three-day opening. As per these sources, the film exceeded 1.7 million USD from all showings across 44 IMAX screens in Japan, roughly equating to 38,636 USD per screen.
This number also comes from a concurrent IMAX release alongside the general release, with both combining for the aforementioned 13.2 million USD figure in the film’s opening weekend. It’s the first Studio Ghibli film to get a simultaneous IMAX release. Moreover, it is screening in Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema, and DTS:X formats.
The film did no advertising and revealed no plot, cast, or staff information heading into its release. Studio Ghibli's co-founder and the film’s producer, Toshio Suzuki, said last month that the film would have no trailers prior to its release. This was alongside a lack of TV spots, newspaper ads, and aforementioned key production info for the film.
However, fans finally learned some of this info on the day of the film’s release. The Boy and the Heron is set during World War II and follows protagonist Mahito Maki after losing his mother during the firebombings of Tokyo. He and his father then move to the countryside, where the latter remarries to his late wife’s pregnant sister. While Mahito struggles with his new life, he encounters a talking heron, who convinces him to enter another world with the promise of seeing his mother again.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
