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Your Name Breaks Box Office Records
The Japanese anime film Your Name has become a huge hit both domestically and overseas.
It may have been released in its native country Japan all the way back in August (with most international releases coming much later) but the anime film Your Name continues to break box office records left right and centre.
Directed by Makoto Shinkai and based on his own novel, Your Name tells the story of a lonely Japanese girl and a handsome Japanese boy who wake up one day to learn that they have inexplicably switched bodies. Praised for its stylised animation and masterful storytelling, it proved to be just as much of a hit with critics as it did with audiences.
In Japan, it grossed an extraordinary $213,840,954, as reported by The Numbers. This makes it the second highest grossing anime film in the country, just behind the Oscar winning film Spirited Away. Once you factor in the money it earned from overseas territories, it was subsequently released in China on 2nd December 2016, where it earned $81,360,000. This makes it the highest-grossing Japanese film in China, and the highest grossing 2D animated film in the territory. In South Korea, Your Name also earned an impressive $25,105,707.
So although it couldn't quite beat Spirited Away domestically, the overseas figures helped Your Name to become by far the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Its current worldwide haul sits at an impressive $331,430,239.
And while it's a damn shame that it didn't pick up an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature (it had a two week Oscar qualifying run in LA in December), Your Name has still received a ton of other nominations and accolades. Including being nominated for Best Film at the 60th BFI London Film Festival and for the 2016 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Winning Best Animated Feature at 49th Sitges Film Festival, and winning the prestigious Arigatō Award at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival.
And it hasn't finished earning money yet either. It's set to open in general release in the US on 7 April, and although a theater count has yet to be specified, it could be a strong earner over there due to strong word of mouth. If you're in the UK, it's currently playing at London's Prince Charles Cinema (one of the finest picture houses in the city, I might add), so you should definitely make an effort to see this.
