Deadline, the entertainment news website, announced on Tuesday that Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s newest film, The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka), will be available for streaming exclusively on Max (formerly HBO Max).
The streaming service is also expanding its multiyear U.S. licensing agreement with Studio Ghibli.
“The Boy and the Heron” was awarded Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday
Miyazaki’s second film to win was after Spirited Away in 2003.
He was also nominated for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises.
This year, the film received Animation of the Year at the 47th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes and also won the Best Motion Picture – Animated category at the 81st Golden Globes Awards.
The Boy and the Heron also received recognition from the Annie Awards for storyboarding and character animation, as well as the British Academy Film Awards for animated film.
At its EDA Awards on December 31, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists gave it the Best Animated Film award.
The 78th Mainichi Film Awards revealed before its February 14 ceremony that the film had won the Noburou Oofuji Award, recognizing animated works that showcase innovative creative expression.
The Boy and the Heron premiered in Japan in July 2023, selling 1.003 million tickets and grossing around US$13.2 million in its initial three days in Japan.
The movie managed to sell 1.353 million tickets and brought in 2.149 billion yen (approximately US$15.53 million) over the Friday-Monday long weekend (July 17 coincided with the Marine Day holiday in Japan).
It ranks as the #71 highest-grossing film in Japan and is the third highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 2023, with a gross of 8.66 billion yen (about US$61.4 million).
During its opening weekend, the film secured the top spot at the U.S. box office, raking in an impressive US$12,836,313 in just three days. Variety reported that the film is the first original anime production to top the U.S. box office.
Since 2020, the Max streaming service has been providing GKIDS’ “entire Studio Ghibli film library.”
Source: Deadline
