Despite the choice not to publicize The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki’s latest effort, the film has become a big hit at the Japanese box office
That it was a gamble was clear to many, so much so that even the same Hayao Miyazaki, it would appear to have had strong second thoughts. Still, the idea to let out in the cinema The Boy and the Heron, without any advertising, was really successful. Studio Ghibli can certainly be satisfied with the result of this choice, which demonstrates once again how much the public is attached to the animated stories of Hayao Miyazaki and how much trust they place in him. Here are the numbers.
Another triumph | The Boy and the Heron: Miyazaki’s new film is a success
The Boy and the Heron, that is The Boy and the Heron, is not a simple animated film, but a real bet that could have cost dearly to Toshio Suzuki, president of Studio Ghibli. Aware of Miyazaki’s great talent, repeatedly demonstrated, he decided to take a risk, making the film debut in theaters without any kind of anticipation. You got it right; this new film from Studio Ghibli did not have a synopsis, nor a trailer or a teaser, let alone an advance press screening, before its cinema debut. Nothing at all, if not a simple poster. It is difficult to find, in today’s cinema world, made up of ever new films, released every day, someone who would lightly support this choice. Yet the film didn’t suffer at all.
Released on July 14 in Japanese theaters, The Boy and the Heron proved to be a real triumph. Not only did the total absence of publicity not affect his success, but his production company scored one of the best debuts. In the first weekend alone, the film grossed 1.830.000.000 yenthat means $13,200,000. The figure made it possible to overcome the previous record of the Ghibli studio, attributable to Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) which managed to earn 1,480,000,000 yen. This success is accompanied by that of the projection in IMAXwhich on its first day recorded 236 million yen, equal to about 1,700,000 dollars.
What do we know
Thanks to the release in Japan, we now have some more information about the plot of this film. We know that the events will revolve around It will be done, a boy who, after losing his mother, is forced to move with his father to a country house that belonged to his ancestors; here the young man will meet a mysterious gray heron. The Boy and the Heron is a sweet and poignant film that hides within itself Miyazaki’s need to address his granddaughters, preparing them for the inevitable moment when their grandfather will be gone.
Unfortunately not we still know when the film will be available in Italy. However, we hope that it will be able to replicate the success it is achieving in Japan here and in the rest of the world. In the meantime Lucky Red has decided to pay homage to the talented director through a film festival, in which some of his best works will return to the cinema. We advise you not to miss them.
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