"Kimi no Na wa" or "Your Name" by Makoto Shinkai is no doubt one of the best anime film ever produced. Since its release last year, the film took the world by storm breaking all-time records for the highest grossing movies. Now, Shinkai's masterpiece has overtaken Studio Ghibli's Academy Award winning film, "Spirited Away" in the worldwide box office earnings.
According to Anime News Network, the film has earned a total of $ 281 million worldwide that puts Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" in number two spot with $ 275 million box office. However, Shinkai has yet to beat Miyazaki domestically with a 7.57-billion-yen gap. This makes Shinkai's movie fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, second highest-grossing Japanese film and second highest grossing anime film.
"Your Name" was premiered in South Korea which instantly became a phenomenon in the country topping the South Korean Box Office at its first weekend. The film was showed in 555 movie theaters around the country earning a whopping $ 5.23 million. The film was also showed in China, Taiwan Hong Kong and Thailand.
In China, Shinkai's film broke all-time records claiming the top spot as the highest-grossing 2D anime film in China. The film also broke the all-time record for most advance tickets sold, fastest film to reach 100 million yuan, earning 100 million yuan in just the opening day. The popularity of the film in these countries fueled up a third of the film's overall earnings.
With its still growing popularity worldwide, Shinkai's work is far from finished. According to Inquirer, Shinkai's film will finally have its North American debut hitting the U.S. and Canadian cinemas on April 7. However, this is not the first time that the film was shown in American soil. It has been screened last July in the Los Angeles Anime Expo to qualify for an Oscar nomination.
The American theater run will both feature dubbed and subbed versions of the film to accommodate the English speaking anime fans. The songs within the films will also have its English versions that will be sung by Yojiro Noda. Hopefully the "Your Name" will not only nab the highest grossing title but also the coveted Oscar along the way.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
