The new anime film The Boy and the Heron, is shattering expectations in America.
The Boy and the Heron, the highly anticipated animated film by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, is doing very well at the box office. It is his first film to get the number one spot in the North American box office. In a week that has seen popular Japanese films such as the Godzilla Minus One film, we are seeing a resurgence in Japanese filmmaking. Both films, in their own right, have made great money for their little budget compared to massive blockbuster films.
We can expect more Japanese films to come to America now that the market has expanded. The Boy and the Heron earned around $13 million in its opening weekend, which is the biggest-ever opening weekend in the United States and Canada for Hayao Miyazaki and his studio. The film is also the first foreign production to reach the top of the US box office this year.
You might recognize Hayao Miyazaki as the director of the anime film “Spirited Away” or “My Neighbor Totoro.” This is the first film he’s made since 2013 when he announced his retirement. The director has also earned his first Golden Globe nomination in the best-animated motion picture category. The music in the film has also been nominated for best original score by composer Joe Hisashi.
Over time, The Boy and the Heron will garner more money and do great in the rental world. Time will tell if it stands up to his other films, such as Spirited Away, the highest-grossing film in Japan for 19 years, which won the Academy Award for best-animated feature that year. While we don’t know if it will be nominated for an Academy Award, it’s a pretty sure bet that it will be as if it already got nominated for a Golden Globe.
A bright future is upon us for foreign films.
