Studio Ghibli¡¯s newest film ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± smashed studio records in its first four days, putting it on track to become one of anime icon Hayao Miyazaki¡¯s top-grossing films.

The film ¡ª which is widely believed to be Miyazaki¡¯s last ¡ª was released last week without a publicity campaign and almost no pre-release promotion. Still, it drew early morning sold-out audiences and tons of social media chatter focusing on what exactly the highly anticipated film was truly about.

According to the film¡¯s distributor, Toho, ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± grossed over ?2.14 billion in the first four days following its release. That¡¯s more than 2001¡¯s ¡°Spirited Away¡± took in over its first four days on its way to becoming Ghibli¡¯s highest grossing film.

In four days, the film attracted a total audience of 1.35 million, with revenue up 150% compared to that of ¡°The Wind Rises,¡± Miyazaki¡¯s previous release a decade ago.

While some Miyazaki films were released with tons of marketing ¡ª like ¡°Kiki¡¯s Delivery Service¡± and its advertising collaboration with Yamato Transport, for example ¡ª other Miyazaki films like ¡°Spirited Away¡± and ¡°Howl¡¯s Moving Castle¡± were also released with no prior information about the film¡¯s content.

¡°Spirited Away¡± grossed ?1.94 billion in its first four days and ?31.68 billion for its total run.

¡°Spirited Away¡± was Japan¡¯s top grossing film until it was unseated in 2021 by ¡°Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train.¡± Other Ghibli films aren¡¯t far behind on the nation¡¯s list of all-time blockbusters. ¡°Princess Mononoke¡± sits in seventh place and ¡°Howl¡¯s Moving Castle¡± in ninth.

On the evening of its release, ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± was revealed to the film¡¯s English title. Its North American rights have been acquired by New York-based distributor Gkids, . The film may be released there this fall.