Featuring the voice work of Mark Hamill alongside a stellar cast that includes Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh, The Boy and the Heron has taken the top spot at the US box office this weekend, taking $10 million for the weekend. Dubbed into English with a cast that includes 2 Batmen, a Green Goblin, a Black Widow, a Drax, a Minn-Erva, a Katana and a Joker, it shares the top 3 with another Japanese film in Godzilla Minus One, marking the first weekend 2 of the top 3 films have been from Japan.
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” looks to soar atop domestic charts this weekend after earning about $5.4 million across Friday and various preview screenings. Playing in 2,205 theaters, the GKids release has the benefit of Imax and other premium large format auditoriums to boost those numbers.
It’s been a gradual global rollout for “The Boy and the Heron,” which has already spirited away $84 million internationally, including $56 million in its native Japan (released under the title “How Do You Live?”), where it ranks as the third-highest grossing release of the year. The 82-year-old Miyazaki had previously announced his retirement following his last feature, 2013’s war romance “The Wind Rises” — his return to filmmaking has played as an event. Early audiences are approving, with an “A-” grade on Cinema Score, and the film has earned critical raves typical for the animation master.
The Boy and the Heron lands on UK screens 26th December 2023.
