The opening of the 71st edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival in the northern Spanish Basque city of San featured an appearance by Hayao Miyazaki, who expressed his gratitude to the festival for giving him the Donostia lifetime achievement award. Ander GILLENEA Photo by Ander GILLENEA
Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese animation master, has never been top of the box office in North America. According to studio estimates, “The Boy and the Heron” opened with $12.8 million. The first original animation to ever top the box office in the U.S. and Canada is called “The Boy and the Heron.” The film is the first foreign production to top the domestic box office this year. The director had the best performer in his last movie, “The Wind Rises,” which made $5.2 million. “It’s really a resounding statement for what animation can be.” said Eric Beckman, founder and chief executive of the North American distributor of Studio Ghibli films. I think this shows that American audiences have been prepared for more than what they have been getting.
Junichi Nishioka, Studio Ghibli vice president, said that the previously retired Miyazaki has begun work on another film just as his last film, “The Boy and the Heron,” was about to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. One of the best films of the year is called “The Boy and the Heron”. The film, with an English voice cast including Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista and Mark Hamill, is about a boy who is led by a heron to a realm after his mother is bombed. The film was released in the U.S. and Canadian with no production stills, trailers or billboards. The Hayao Miyazaki films were rereleased in theaters by GKIDS, which was founded in 2008 as a way to bring ambitious animation to wider audiences. We are trying to do justice to the film.
The film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyblade”, dropped steeply in its second weekend. The concert film, the second pop star release distributed by AMC Theatres, collected $5 million in its second weekend, a decline of 75% from its $21 million opening. The fourth weekend of release of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” brought in an estimated $9.4 million. The Toho Studios movie made $8.3 million for the weekend, bringing its total to $25 million. The film starring Emma Stone opened in nine theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin. Next week, “Poor Things” will play in more theaters. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is the author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” and she investigates race and inequality in her book. One of the holiday season’s most anticipated releases, “Wonka”, kicked off its overseas run with $43.2 million from 37 international markets. The film is expected to lead ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada next weekend. The final domestic figures will be released on Monday. “Trolls Band Together” earned $6.2 million. “Waitress: The Musical” cost $3.2 million.