Suzume no Tojimari beats Black Panther: Wakanda Forever by 13.49 million USD box office opening in Japan

In its first three days of opening, Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari anime film created history by selling 1.33 million tickets and earning over 13.49 million USD. It was recently announced that the film surpassed Your Name and dominated the box office record of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in Japan.

Ryan Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been one of the most-awaited films of 2023. Despite Marvel retaining a massive fanbase from Japan, Makoto Shinkai’s influence has made Suzume no Tojimari take over the #1 spot with an impressive opening.

---

Suzume no Tojimari surpasses Your Name, but Weathering With You still holds the top spot in Makoto Shinkai’s films

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s initial three days of box office opening grossed over 327 million yen in Japan, over 2.4 million USD. Though the new movie didn’t beat its prequel, it conquered the spot of the second-biggest opening of 2023 domestically from the USA and Canada, earning over 180 million USD. Globally, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned 330 million USD, including 150 million USD from over 50 territories.

Apart from holding the #1 spot in Japan for the first three days of its opening, Makoto Shinkai’s new film also surpassed Your Name by over 40 million yen (estimated at around 1 million USD). Your Name was Makoto Shinkai’s first film to be released in theaters, which earned over 12.50 million USD.

Makoto Shinkai’s second theatrically released film, Weathering With You, with 15.22 million USD, remains his most highly-grossed film. Fans expected Suzume no Tojimari to take the top spot in the list of Makoto Shinkai films. However, clashing with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever significantly reduced the opportunity for the new movie to overtake Weathering With You.

The film received IMAX and Dolby screenings in 420 theaters across Japan and has sold over 1.33 million tickets in its first three days of opening, including the Midnight screening held over 11 theaters. Although Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, and Wild Bunch International have announced the screening of the film in 2023, they are yet to give the exact release dates for each territory.

---

Synopsis and other news on Suzume no Tojimari

The film has garnered massive responses and acclaim from Japanese otakus, increasing the hype among international fans even more. Describing the storyline of Suzume no Tojimari, IMDb writes:

Suzume, a 17-year-old girl who lives in a quiet town in Kyushu, encounters a traveling young man who tells her "I'm looking for a door." She follows after him and discovers a weathered door in the ruins in the mountains as if it were the only thing left standing from a collapse. As if drawn by something, Suzume reaches for the door... Before long, doors begin to open one after another in various parts of Japan.

Further continuing:

As disasters come from the far side of the doors, the open doors must be closed. The stars, the setting sun, and the morning sky—in that place she wandered into, there was a sky that seemingly blended all of the time together. Guided by the mysterious doors, Suzume's "door-locking journey" begins.

While the movie has already been released in Japanese theaters, Crunchyroll has announced that it will be releasing Suzume no Tojimari in early 2023 in all regions except for Asia.

The novel adaptation of Suzume no Tojimari, which was released before the film’s premiere in August, has sold over 350,000 copies in a short span of time. Additionally, Makoto Shinkai earned a new achievement after his Suzume no Tojimari got nominated for Best Animated Picture at the 47th Hochi Film Awards.