The films of the legendary anime creator from Japan have recently made tens of millions of dollars thanks to reruns in Chinese theaters.
Castle in the Sky, the 1986 animated classic directed by anime great Hayao Miyazaki, is returning to theaters, but this time in China. The film has been approved by Beijing’s censors and is scheduled for a nationwide theatrical debut on June 1. It was never released in the nation during its initial run and subsequent rereleases around the world.
Thanks to the easy availability of pirated DVDs and downloads in the nation, which were formerly the only method to view Miyazaki‘s work there, his work is well-known and adored in China. Yet in recent years, Studio Ghibli has started to make up for lost time by introducing a few of Miyazaki‘s films for the first time to Chinese multiplexes.
My Neighbor Totoro, directed by the maestro, received $26 million from a China rerelease in 2018, and Spirited Away took second place with $69 million in 2019.
Castle in the Sky, a cult classic from Miyazaki‘s oeuvre, depicts a young boy and a girl who possess a magic crystal as they outrun pirates and foreign agents in search of a fabled floating castle.
Japanese anime has experienced significant growth in recent years, much like it has almost everywhere else in the world. The 2017 movie Your Name, directed by Makoto Shinkai, who is frequently referred to be Miyazaki‘s heir, was a commercial success in the nation, grossing $83 million. Suzume, the most recent anime smash from Shinkai, will debut in China on March 24 after grossing over $100 million in Japan and receiving its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival last month.
