Studio Ghibli has proven yet again that it's the premiere animation studio in Japan. The studio's latest project The Boy and The Heron is dominating the domestic box office. It's an amazing feat considering that the film, which also happens to be Hayao Miyazaki's final movie, was never actively promoted ahead of its theatrical release.
The Boy and The Heron, or Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru ka, was announced back in 2017 but the official release date was not revealed until December last year. Studio Ghibli would later release a poster depicting the titular heron and the poster would be the only promotional content for the film. The animation studio actively decided against any kind of promotion so there were no trailers, images, or casting details for the movie before it hit Japanese theaters last week.
Interestingly, Studio Ghibli didn't have to promote the film at all. According to Anime News Network, The Boy and The Heron has already grossed $13.2 million in its opening weekend alone. It was the highest-grossing movie at the Japanese box office on its opening weekend. In addition to that, the movie is currently the second-biggest opening for a Studio Ghibli film after Howl’s Moving Castle made $14.2 million on its opening back in 2004.
The Boy and The Heron was confirmed to be Hayao Miyazaki's final feature film. Its Japanese title is a reference to the 1937 novel of the same name by Genzaburo Yoshino. However, the film itself has an original story that is not connected to the book. In the movie, a young boy moves to a new town and finds an abandoned tower where he meets a talking grey heron.
The film was theatrically released in Japan on July 14, 2023. It is expected to get an international release date later this year.
