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The Boy and the Beast Film Earns US$274,247 in U.S. Opening Weekend

Box Office Mojo reports that Funimation's theatrical release of Mamoru Hosoda's The Boy and The Beast (Bakemono no Ko) anime film grossed US$274,247 in its opening weekend at 122 theaters. It is holding a per-screen average of US$2,248. The film opened theatrically in the United States on March 4.

Funimation describes the film:

When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts, he's taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who's been searching for the perfect apprentice. Despite their constant bickering, Kyuta and Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a bond as surrogate father and son. But when a deep darkness threatens to throw the human and beast worlds into chaos, the strong bond between this unlikely pair will be put to the ultimate test—a final showdown that will only be won if the two can finally work together using all of their combined strength and courage.

The film will get Canadian screenings on May 27.

GKIDS' theatrical release of Studio Ghibli and Isao Takahata's Only Yesterday (Omohide Poro Poro) film earned US$58,394 on the February 26-28 weekend, the first weekend of the film's expanded nationwide theatrical release. The film has grossed US$121,638.

The film opened at 18 theaters (though some theaters only showed the film for only one or two days). GKIDS added more theaters last Friday, and will continue to add more theaters until April 22.

GKIDS describes the film:

It's 1982, and Taeko (Daisy Ridley) is 27 years old, unmarried, and has lived her whole life in Tokyo. She decides to visit her family in the countryside, and as the train travels through the night, memories flood back of her younger years: the first immature stirrings of romance, the onset of puberty, and the frustrations of math and boys. At the station she is met by young farmer Toshio (Dev Patel), and the encounters with him begin to reconnect her to forgotten longings. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

GKIDS first screened the film in North America in January. The film originally premiered in Japan in 1991, and has not previously been released in North America. GKIDS' theatrical release corresponded with the film's 25th anniversary.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.