The Boy And The Heron Becomes First Animated Film To Top The U.S. Box Office Since The Princess And The Frog

The Boy And The Heron Becomes First Animated Film To Top The U.S. Box Office Since The Princess And The Frog

Studio Ghibli’s film, “The Boy and the Heron,” hit over 2,200 U.S. theaters from GKIDS and achieved an impressive debut, grossing $12.97 million, inclusive of Thursday previews. The three-day total for the opening weekend (Friday-Sunday) reached $10.4 million, marking the most substantial U.S. debut for both the director and the studio.

This film has now become GKIDS’ top-grossing release, surpassing the previous record-holder, Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering with You,” which earned $7.8 million during its 2020 release in 486 theaters under the same distributor. This is the first time that a 2D animated film has topped the box office since Disney’s Princess and the Frog back in 2009.

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With a box office revenue of $12.97 million, “The Boy and the Heron” now ranks as the 12th highest-grossing anime title in U.S. history, surpassing “One Piece Film: Red” at $12.78 million. Additionally, the film is poised to claim the title of Miyazaki’s highest-grossing work in the region. As of now, “Ponyo” holds that distinction, having earned $15.1 million throughout its entire theatrical run in 2009.

In 2023, “The Boy and the Heron” became the fourth animated film to lead the U.S. box office, following “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.”

Related: Spiderman Across the Spider-Verse Movie Review

Dreamworks’ “Trolls Band Together” and Disney’s “Wish” both secured spots in the top five at the domestic box office over the weekend. Experiencing a modest decline of only 20.8% from the previous week, “Trolls” contributed an additional $6.2 million, securing the fourth position and bringing its domestic total to $83 million. Meanwhile, “Wish” garnered $5.3 million during the weekend, securing the fifth spot and pushing its three-week domestic total to $49.4 million.

Rounding out the top 5 were “Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and “Godzilla Minus One.” What movie are you looking forward to this Holiday season? Will you be heading out to theaters to catch Boy and the Heron or another film? Let us know your thoughts in a comment.

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