Japanese director and animator Hayao Miyazaki¡¯s latest movie, ¡°The Boy and the Heron,¡± debuted at the top of the North American box office this past weekend with a . It is the first original anime film to secure first place in the United States and Canada.

The movie, which marks Miyazaki¡¯s return to filmmaking after announcing his retirement in 2013, also Monday in the category of best animated motion picture. ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± composer Joe Hisaishi received a nomination for best original score for a motion picture.

Meanwhile, fellow Japanese director Makoto Shinkai¡¯s latest feature, ¡°Suzume,¡± also received a Golden Globe nomination for best animated motion picture.

¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± isn¡¯t the only Japanese film performing extremely well in North America this week. Takashi Yamazaki¡¯s ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± came in at No. 3, in its second week. The film arrived in North American cinemas Dec. 1 and surprised many by earning in its opening weekend. The latest entry in the giant monster franchise is now the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time in North America.

Despite featuring one of the most iconic Japanese characters in cinema history, ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± has been a surprise hit in Japan and abroad. Film company Toho Studios has extended the movie¡¯s theatrical run, despite initial plans for ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± to start exiting theaters in Japan this week.

The dual success of ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± and ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± underlines the continued global interest in Japanese entertainment. It goes well beyond money made ¡ª the films have garnered praise from English-language critics as well. While accolades are to be expected for anything Miyazaki puts out, ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± has caught many off guard, with media outlets such as the BBC calling it ¡°¡± and Rolling Stone declaring it ¡°.¡±

In recent years, Japanese movies have been performing well in U.S. theaters. In 2021, ¡°Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba ¡ª The Movie: Mugen Train¡± opened at the top of the American box office, breaking records for the highest debut for a foreign language film ever. In 2022, ¡°Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,¡± the latest full-length in the ¡°Dragon Ball¡± universe, topped the North American box office in its first week.

The success of ¡°The Boy and the Heron¡± and ¡°Godzilla Minus One¡± comes at a time when major American animated features like Disney¡¯s ¡°Wish¡± and live-action superhero movies such as Marvel¡¯s ¡°The Marvels¡± are underperforming domestically.