Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki is revered in
China as much as he is anywhere. The 83-year-old filmmaker’s Oscar-winning swan song opened last Wednesday in China to take advantage of the country’s Qingming public holiday and by Sunday it had earned $73 million — more than its totals in both
Japan ($61 million) and North America ($46.6 million). The Studio Ghibli film easily overtook Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. holdover monster movie , which brought in $36 million over the four-day holiday weekend. ‘s total now sits at $93.5 million, the biggest haul by a
Hollywood movie in China in many months, according to data from Artisan Gateway. Chinese ticketing app Maoyan currently projects to top out at $106.5 million and to finish with $121.9 million — but the company’s estimates are often subject to considerable revision. China’s Qingming holiday, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, is a traditional occasion for paying respects to one’s ancestors. In recent years, the holiday has also become a major movie-going moment. This year’s holiday release window surpassed that of 2021 to become the record holder for most ticket sales. has continued a in China of filmgoers favoring Japanese animation over Hollywood imports in the category. Dreamworks Animation‘s , nearing the end of its run in China, has climbed to $42.7 million. That’s considerably better than most U.S.-made animated films have done lately, but a steep decline from ‘s boffo $154.3 million haul back in the boom times of 2016. Japanese anime meanwhile has been on a steady ascent. Last year, Makoto Shinkai’s anime hit earned $114 million and Toei Animation’s brought in $93 million. Universal’s , with $138.7 million, was the only imported movie to earn more in China in 2023. China’s current ticket sales revenue total for 2024 is $2.5 billion, up 6.2 percent on the same period last year. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter