Since its release late last year, Makoto Shinkai’s ambitious fantasy adventure film has been making an impressive climb up the Japanese box office charts, with its latest landmark placing it in truly rarefied air.
Having exceeded 12 billion yen at the Japanese box office, Suzume now sits at #10 all-time for the nation’s highest grossing anime films (11th overall, with police comedy Bayside Shakedown 2 serving as the only live-action film in the charts). In doing so, it has surpassed the takings for Hayao Miyazaki’s 2013 historical drama, The Wind Rises. Next in its sights would be 2021 shonen bonanza, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which took in 13.7 billion yen.
The film, courtesy of studio CoMix Wave Films, stars Nanoka Hara as the eponymous Suzume Iwato, alongside Hokuto Matsumura as Souta Munakata. It tells the story of a young girl who finds herself embroiled in a mission to prevent disasters across the Japan, with the key to salvation lying in a series of mysterious doors.
The official Twitter account thanked fans for their ongoing support.
Currently slated for an international release from this April, the true test will be how well it can carry this momentum for audiences abroad. As it stands, Suzume is already the 34th highest all-time grossing Japanese movie internationally (24th among anime films).
With a musical score that involves the talents of RADWIMPS and Kazuma Jinnouchi, alongside a cast with notable names such as Ryunosuke Kamiki (Your Name.) and Kana Hanazawa (Steins;Gate), the film was destined for big things, and yet, being able to see exactly how quickly it has caught on with cinema-goers is truly an encouraging sign.
