‘The Boy And The Heron’ Is Sweeping The Competition At The Box Office; Miyazaki Headed For First-Ever No. 1 U.S. Opening

In his iconic animation career, Hayao Miyazaki has achieved nearly everything there is to achieve as a filmmaker – except for launching a film in first place at the U.S. box office. That’s about to change this weekend with the release of The Boy and the Heron.

The film pulled an estimated $2.39 million from previews and Thursday evening showings, according to Deadline. Today, it added another $3m, bringing its total to $5.4m. With Saturday and Sunday still to come, it’s on pace to earn $10m+ through the weekend.

Last week’s top film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, is crashing in its second weekend, leaving two other films to emerge as competitors: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and the Japanese film Godzilla Minus One. Currently, neither is tracking to top $9m, putting Miyazaki in solid command.

GKIDS is launching the 82-year-old filmmaker’s latest work in 2,205 theaters. The company confirmed to Cartoon Brew that The Boy and the Heron is their widest-ever release. Its previous widest release was Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle at 1,380 locations. Further, the film is booked into premium large-format screens and, in a first for a Studio Ghibli film, Imax screens.

Miyazaki’s widest and highest-grossing release is currently Ponyo, which played in 927 theaters in 2009, grossing $3.6 million over its first weekend and $15.1m total. The biggest release for a Ghibli film belongs to Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s The Secret World of Arrietty, which opened in 1,522 theaters in February 2012, making $6.4 million in its opening frame, on its way to a total of $19.2m.