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The Boy and the Heron Becomes 4th Highest-Earning Anime Film in N. America
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
The 1998 anime film Pokémon: The First Movie tops the highest grossing anime list with US$85.7 million, Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train — which premiered in the U.S. in 2021 — comes in second with US$49.5 million, and Pokémon the Movie 2000 ranks at third with US$43.8 million.
Meanwhile, the Godzilla Minus One film is nearing the US$50-million mark, as the film's total U.S. earning is now estimated at US$49,350,093.
The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One ranked at #12 and #13, respectively, in the first weekend of this year's U.S. box office. The Boy and the Heron had an estimated earning of US$1,817,762, and Godzilla Minus One earned US$1,742,769.
GKIDS licensed The Boy and the Heron film, and released it in North American theaters on December 8, with preview engagements on November 22. Screenings include the English dub alongside screenings with Japanese audio with English subtitles.
The film won the Best Picture award at the Florida Film Critics Circle, the first time an animated feature film has won the award. The film also won Best Animated Film and Best Score.
The film additionally won the Best Animation award for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. The film also won the Animated Feature award from the Boston Society of Film Critics.
Most recently, the film won the Best Animated Film Award at the Alliance of Women Film Journalists' EDA Awards, and the Best Motion Picture - Animated category at the 81st Golden Globe Awards. The film won the Best Animated Feature in Gold House and CAPE's (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) fourth annual Gold List, and Hayao Miyazaki received honorable mentions for the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay awards. Miyazaki also received the Astra Awards for Best International Filmmaker by the Hollywood Creative Alliance (formerly the Hollywood Critics Association).
Godzilla Minus One was awarded the Best International Film at the Georgia Film Critics Association, and The Boy and the Heron won as runner-up for the Best Animated Film category.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) included The Boy and the Heron in the longlist of its 2023 film awards for Best Animation and Film Not in English categories. The BAFTA Film Awards will announce the shortlist of nominations on January 18. The Art Directors Guild also nominated the film in the Animated Feature Film category.
The film — along with Godzilla Minus One, Gran Turismo, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Suzume, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and YOSHIKI Under the Sky — are the anime films, or films otherwise related or connected to Japanese creators or franchises, that are eligible for nomination for Best Picture for the 2024 Oscars. Joe Hisaishi is already shortlisted for the Music (Original Score) category for The Boy and the Heron.
Godzilla Minus One is also shortlisted for the Visual Effects category, the first time a Japanese film has made the shortlist for the Visual Effects award at the Academy Awards. The Academy will announce the final nominees on January 23, and the awards ceremony will be held on March 10.
Sources: Cartoon Brew (Jamie Lang), Deadline (Jill Goldsmith)
