Suzume Passes Ponyo to Become 6th Highest-Grossing Anime Film of All Time Worldwide

 

Thanks to a spectacular run in China, this last weekend saw Suzume jump up to sixth on the worldwide anime all-time charts, passing Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo and more to rise up the ranks. Coupled with the film’s releases around the world, Suzume is at a total of US$227.26 million.

 

According to Variety, US$80.6 million of that is from China alone, which is inching closer to its full Japanese box office total of, as of April 2, 14.39 billion yen (US$107.11 million). IMAX reported to Variety that US$13 million of the Chinese gross was in IMAX theaters, making it the second biggest Japanese film in IMAX theaters in China.

 

In other territories, Taiwan’s gross has increased to US$6.69 million, South Korea, where it is currently the third highest-grossing film of the year behind THE FIRST SLAM DUNK in second place and Avatar 2 in first place, Suzume has made US$30.01 million, and Hong Kong at US$2.84 million. In total, Suzume made US$227.26 million around the world before it’s even released in western countries.

 

RELATED: Suzume Anime Movie Reveals English Dub Trailer Ahead of April Release

 

Suzume only needs another US$9 million to overtake Howl’s Moving Castle to break into the top five all-time anime box office where it will then have to face One Piece Film Red and at some point, Your Name. – though Your Name. has a lead of around US$100 million over Film Red, so it’s a steep mountain to climb for Suzume to get there.

 

 

Suzume is directed by Makoto Shinkai, who also penned the screenplay for the film alongside Masayoshi Tanaka as the character designer, Kenichi Tsuchiya as the animation director and Takumi Tanji as the art director with animation production at CoMix Wave Films. 

 

Suzume was released in Japan on November 11 with Crunchyroll teaming up with Sony Pictures and Wild Bunch International to bring the feature to global audiences outside of Asia starting April 12, 2023.

 

Synopsis:

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety—

 

“Suzume no Tojimari” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. 

 

Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

 

—The stars, then sunset, and the morning sky.

 

Within that realm, it was as though all time had melted together in the sky…

 

Never-before-seen scenery, encounters and farewells… A myriad of challenges await her on her journey. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Suzume’s adventure shines a ray of hope upon our own struggles against the toughest roads of anxiety and constraints that make up everyday life. This story of closing doors that connect our past to the present and future will leave a lasting impression upon all of our hearts. 

 

Drawn in by these mysterious doors, Suzume’s journey is about to begin. 

 

Sources: Kogyo Tsushin, Variety, TFAI, KOBIZ, HKFILMART

 

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Daryl Harding is a Senior Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.