Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron" soared to $73 million at the Chinese box office over the holiday weekend, surpassing its totals in both Japan and North America. The film easily overtook "Godzilla vs. Kong" and is projected to reach $106.5 million, while the latter is expected to finish with $121.9 million. Chinese audiences have shown a preference for Japanese animation over Hollywood imports, with "The Boy and the Heron" continuing this trend. Overall, China's current ticket sales revenue for 2024 is $2.5 billion, up 6.2 percent from the same period last year.
"The Boy and the Heron," a Japanese animation, made a strong midweek debut in mainland Chinese theaters, earning over $35 million in just two days and surpassing Hollywood's "Godzilla x Kong" at the box office. The film's early success suggests it could become the second biggest market for the movie, following its strong performance in Japan and North America. This reflects the growing popularity of Japanese animated titles in China, where the box office is currently outpacing North America by 50%.
Studio Ghibli's final film from Miyazaki Hayao, "How Do You Live," will be released in Japan on July 14 with no pre-release advertising or advanced information. The film is reportedly based on a 1937 novel, but Studio Ghibli president Suzuki Toshio implied that plot descriptions available online may be incorrect. The film has been pre-sold in overseas territories, but currently has no foreign release dates penciled in.
