Ponyo on a Cliff Tops Japan's Box Office

Anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, and Studio Ghibli, have another triumph on their hands.

According to Variety, Miyazaki's latest film, Ponyo on a Cliff, topped the Japanese box office during its first weekend in theatres. It made $14.8 million from 12.5 million moviegoers for the weekend of July 19th to 21st.

Ponyo on a Cliff's Record-Breaking Debut

Those numbers were slightly below (by about 3.4%) Hayao's best ever showing, the 2001 debut of Spirited Away. That flick went on to earn $285 million in Japan (the highest ever box office for a Japanese movie) and eventually took the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. However, Ponyo broke another record, by appearing on 481 movie screens (Spirited Away appeared on 336).

A Studio Ghibli representative claimed that the film pulled "nearly ten billion yen ($9.4 million)" over Saturday and Sunday. In comparison, Hayao's previous film, 2004's Howl's Moving Castle, earned $13.9 million over 448 screens. That movie went on to earn $184 million in Japan.

Studio Ghibli has had a great run in Japanese cinemas over the past several years. Not only did it profit from distributing Hayao Miyazaki's work, but its previous animated feature film, Tales from Earthsea, grossed $8.4 million in its first weekend. That movie, which was directed by Hayao's son Goro, triumphed over mixed reviews and earned $71.8 million, topping the box office for 2006.

After Ponyo on a Cliff's release, the film's theme song, penned by frequent Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi, hit #2 on the Oricon Pop Chart, Japan's equivalent to Billboard.

Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki said in an interview that "If the theme song is a hit, the movie is also a hit." This was the case with past Miyazaki movies, and also seems to apply to Ponyo's box office.

2009 Big Year For Anime?

Given the time lag between Japan and North America, it's looking increasingly likely that 2009 will bring a flood of anime to domestic theatres. Given its Japanese success, Ponyo on a Cliff will probably come to North America next year, as will Goro Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea (copyright issues kept that movie from being released in North America for the past 2 years).

In addition, Hong Kong's Imagi Animation will bring their big-screen adaptations of Gatchaman and Astro Boy to domestic theatres next year. With so many strong movies coming out in theatres, will 2009 be the year anime finally breaks in North America? Stay tuned.

Fun Fact: Hayao Miyazaki has admitted that the character of Sosuke in Ponyo on a Cliff was based on his son Goro. The two men have a had public falling out ever since Goro signed on to direct Tales from Earthsea.

art from Ponyo on a Cliff

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