Summary
Though Hayao Miyazaki’sThe Boy and the Heronwas expected to be an acclaimed film (if not a little weird at the end of the day), the one question people had was “how much money is it going to make?” While Miyazaki films typically were financially successful in Japan, success has been more mixed in other countries.
America in particular has been a tough nut to crack, with his films being viewed as undiscovered gems in the States. However,The Boy and the Heronended up becoming a huge hit outside his mainland country, which then begs the question: what was different this time around?
What Are Some of the Most Successful Anime Studios?
Although it goes without saying,Studio Ghibliis not the only anime studio to have major financial success. Several other anime studios also have posted numbers that would make the CEO of a major studio take notice. Toei Animation, for example, has had major financial success thanks to producing hit franchises likeDragon Ball,One Piece, andSailor Moon. Madhouse is another studio that has produced critically acclaimed and financially successful anime such asDeath Note,One Punch Man, andHunter x Hunter, establishing itself as a versatile and reliable studio.
Other studios that are known for their reliable hits include Gainex, Sunrise, Kyoto Animation (despite thetroubles they’ve faced), and MAPPA have all produced series and movies that have received huge financial rewards. Most, though, have not achieved the same consistent financial results as Studio Ghibli has (and they REALLY haven’t been as consistent as Hayao Miyazaki’s box office numbers).
Anime Films by the Numbers
Several non-Studio Ghibli anime films have achieved notable financial success worldwide. Here are some of the most successful:
How Successful is Miyazaki in Comparson?
In comparison to other studios, there is nothing that compares to a Hayao Miyazaki film. His movies tend to gross millions of dollars worldwide, and other films move off the schedule in Japan if they are opening the same week. So popular are his films thatSpirited Awaywas one of the first movies in Japan to take a page from American cinemas and have midnight screenings. So anticipated are his films that his latest film -How Do You Live?(which wasrenamedThe Boy and the Heronfor the international release) - was able to open to roughly $13 million in Japan without having an advertising campaign of any kind (only a rough sketch was released as a poster).
In America and other countries, his films have not made the same kind of money. This is largely because his previous distributor - Walt Disney Pictures - bought the rights to the catalog and then continued to show adisappointing lack of interest in them. Most of the titles would go direct-to-DVD, where they would sell more than most anime in America (but far less than homebred Disney titles likeFinding NemoandLilo & Stitch). However, Miyazaki’s success in America was soon about to change.
Miyazaki by the Numbers
Hayao Miyazaki’s films have achieved impressive worldwide box office grosses, contributing significantly to Studio Ghibli’s global success. Here are some of his most notable box office performances:
The Boy and the Herons Calculated Worldwide Success
WhenThe Boy and the Heronopened at number one at the US box office heads turned. Not only had Miyazaki finally topped the American box office, it did so with his most unconventional film. The movie also opened at number one in China, a country where his films were largely unavailable for decades. Canada was another country where the film opened at number one. So what happened? Why did a man whose films largely went under the box office radar suddenly start hitting number one worldwide? Well, its because something happened with Miyazaki’s films under current distributors that never happened under Disney: they were nurtured. While we don’t want to take anything away from what Disney did to bring Studio Ghibli to America (some of thebest dubs of all timeincluded), the reality is they were never invested in nurturing them as a company.
Then Ghibli Fest was formed, and became a yearly tradition that is still running to this day, where all the old Ghibli films are rotated and shown in theaters. As the festival continued and the re-releases on BluRay ramped up, soon Studio Ghibli became a name. They did the same for Canada, and thus Miyazaki’s profile continued to rise in North America. Roughly five years ago, the Studio Ghibli catalog finally got approved for release in China. Chinese film goers embraced the Ghibli catalog and a new audience was discovered. Other countries that had already embraced Miyazaki continued to do so. When it was time forThe Boy and the Heronto be released in American and Canada GKids pulled out all the stops: wide release,IMAX presentation, and big name stars for the dub (though that was more of a tradition at this point).
Thanks to the years of nurturing from GKids and other markets over the years, the world was invested in seeing Miyazaki’s (alleged) final film in theaters. While the movie may ultimately not have made the kind of moneySpirited Awaydid, for once his movie was more than just an even that the Japanese enjoyed and the rest of the world shrugged at. He had made a film that the whole world wanted to see. A film that connecteddespite the personal nature of it. And if that is how Miyazaki’s career ends, then we can’t think of a better way for a filmmaker’s career to end.
