Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki is revered in China as much as he is anywhere. The 83-year-old filmmaker’s Oscar-winning swan song The Boy and the Heron opened last Wednesday in China to take advantage of the country’s Qingming public holiday and by Sunday it had earned $73 million — more than its totals in both Japan ($61 million) and North America ($46.6 million).
The Studio Ghibli film easily overtook Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. holdover monster movie Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire, which brought in $36 million over the four-day holiday weekend. Godzilla vs. Kong‘s total now sits at $93.5 million, the biggest haul by a Hollywood movie in China in many months, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
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Chinese ticketing app Maoyan currently projects The Boy and the Heron to top out at $106.5 million and Godzilla vs. Kong to finish with $121.9 million — but the company’s estimates are often subject to considerable revision.
China’s Qingming holiday, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, is a traditional occasion for paying respects to one’s ancestors. In recent years, the holiday has also become a major moviegoing moment. This year’s holiday release window surpassed that of 2021 to become the record holder for most ticket sales.
The Boy and the Heron has continued a trend in China of filmgoers favoring Japanese animation over Hollywood imports in the category. Dreamworks Animation‘s Kung Fu Panda 4, nearing the end of its run in China, has climbed to $42.7 million. That’s considerably better than most U.S.-made animated films have done lately, but a steep decline from Kung Fu Panda 3‘s boffo $154.3 million haul back in the boom times of 2016.
Japanese anime meanwhile has been on a steady ascent. Last year, Makoto Shinkai’s anime hit Suzume earned $114 million and Toei Animation’s The First Slam Dunk brought in $93 million. Universal’s Fast X, with $138.7 million, was the only imported movie to earn more in China in 2023.
China’s current ticket sales revenue total for 2024 is $2.5 billion, up 6.2 percent on the same period last year.
