The Boy and the Heron, formerly known as How Do You Live?, is Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent and possibly final animated film. It earned 1.83 billion yen ($13.2 million) in its opening weekend in Japanese theatres. This was Ghibli’s biggest opening ever in terms of yen, surpassing Howl’s Moving Castle (1.48 billion yen).
The legendary animator reportedly expressed some concerns about Studio Ghibli’s historic decision to do no marketing at all for the film — no trailers, no TV ads, not even an announced plot summary or cast — before the release of his eagerly awaited latest feature, The Boy and the Heron, in Japan on Friday.
Ghibli co-founder and president Toshio Suzuki revealed at a gathering in Tokyo two weeks prior to the release that Miyazaki was a little concerned about the decision to do zero publicity for what is anticipated to be his final film.
“I do believe in you, Mr. Suzuki,” Miyazaki said. “But I’m concerned…”
According to reports, Suzuki defended his approach with the following statement: “In my opinion, in this age of so much information, the lack of information is entertainment. I don’t know if this will work. But as for me, I believe in it.”
Without a doubt, Miyazaki is now feeling more at ease.
From Friday to Sunday, The Boy and the Heron made $13.2 (1.83 billion yen), according to ComScore. That is the biggest debut in yen for Studio Ghibli ever, surpassing Howl’s Moving Castle’s 1.48 billion yen debut in 2004 (Howl actually made slightly more at $14 million when converted to dollars due to the yen’s historically weak exchange rate with the dollar at the moment).
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The Boy and the Heron broke a new 3-day record for the giant screen operator in Japan when it debuted in Imax with $1.7 million from 44 screens.
However, because the theatrical market in Japan is renowned for its slow growth, a film’s staying power and word of mouth are more important than its initial impact. Howl’s Moving Castle, for instance, eventually increased from its $14 million beginning to $190 million over the course of a local release that lasted 407 days.
The Boy and the Heron has not yet received a critical assessment from a major Western publication, but Japanese media have praised the film for its “truly astounding” visual beauty and insightful philosophical messages. The movie has been described as being more mature and enigmatic than most of the Ghibli films, and it may take several viewings to fully appreciate.
Specialty distributor GKIDS will eventually release The Boy and the Heron in North America. The upcoming Venice Film Festival, where Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013) all saw their first screenings outside of Japan, is the site of a potential global premiere that festival insiders are already talking up.