(Los Angeles) The Boy and the Heron, the new film by the master of Japanese animation Hayao Miyazaki, creator of, among others, the extremely famous Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, took the lead at the North American box office this weekend end, according to estimates on Sunday from the Exhibitor Relations firm.
With $12.8 million in revenue, the fantasy film achieved “the best figures for a Studio Ghibli film” during a first weekend of release, underlines Exhibitor Relations.
The film depicts the life of an 11-year-old boy, Mahito, who leaves Tokyo after his mother dies in a fire to live with his father in the countryside. Mahito then meets a gray heron who becomes his guide in an epic where the mysteries of life, which are the hallmark of Miyazaki’s tales, follow one another.
In another universe, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes continues its run on the podium for the fourth consecutive weekend.
The prequel to the dystopian saga of the same name from the novel series by Suzanne Collins, which recounts the youth of Coriolanus Snow, future dictator of the saga, collected $9.4 million between Friday and Sunday.
Godzilla Minus One, by Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki produced by Toho Studios, came in third place for the second weekend in a row, with $8.3 million, followed by Trolls 3 ($6.2 million), and the last Disney Studios film, Wish, which closes the top 5 with $5.3 million.
