Boffo Box Office

WB's Storks might be under-performing, but there's another animated movie that isn't.

Animated fantasy film charms Japan and soars to top of box office

Your Name, Makoto Shinkai’s fantasy about two teenagers drawn together by gender-swapping dreams, has been seen by more than 8 million people since its release in August, beating the hugely popular Godzilla Resurgence to become the highest-grossing film in Japan this year, and the ninth highest of all time.

It has earned more than 10bn yen (£77m) in box office receipts, an anime milestone previously achieved only by Miyazaki’s films.

The film has made the 43-year-old Shinkai an obvious candidate to continue the anime legacy left by Miyazaki, the 75-year-old creator of global hits such as Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle. ...

The lesson, at least in Japan, is that animation doesn't have to be CG to make a pile of yen at the box office. Hand-drawn features can also be high-grossers, but since very few are, very few get produced.