While the overall weekend box office was in the doldrums, Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One both set records for Japanese films at the domestic box office.
The Boy and the Heron led the way at the weekend box office with $10.4 million becoming the first original anime film to finish in first place in North American. The GKids release was available in both subbed and dubbed versions, and also played in a number of IMAX theaters.
Toho International’s Godzilla Minus One landed in third place at the weekend box office and took home $8.3 million in its second weekend. More importantly, the latest Toho production’s current $25.3 million total is the best ever for a live-action Japanese film to be released in North America.
Next weekend brings much more domestic competition in the form of Wonka, but both Heron and Godzilla should continue to offer a fresh alternative to standard holiday fare and provide unexpected funds to theater owners everywhere.