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Hayao Miyazaki’s movies have always managed to capture its target audience of young children despite having darker undertones. A great example isSpirited Away, Studio Ghibli’s highest-grossing film which portrays consumerism and environmentalism under the facade of a fantasy movie.
Many people consider that if Hayao Miyazaki has one competitor, it would be Makoto Shinkai. Shinkai’s movies have captured the hearts of audiences across all age groups, and their themes of romance have tugged at heartstrings.
Hayao Miyazaki’sSpirited AwayBox Office Record was Beaten by One Makoto Shinkai Movie
If you look at the list of highest-earning movies in Japan, it is peppered with Shinkai and Ghibli movies.Spirited Awaypremiered in 2001 and grossed around $395 million at the worldwide box office. It instantly became the highest-earning movie in Japanese history. It held its record till 2016 whenMakoto ShinkaireleasedYour Name, whichgrossed over $400 million worldwideafter its release.
Makoto Shinkai is Not the Next Hayao Miyazaki, He’s Even Better Where it Truly Matters: ‘We had a massage therapist come into the studio’
Of course, adjusting the inflation rate might helpSpirited Awayreach its top position again. However, you also need to keep in mind the budget of the two films.Spirited Awayhad a budget of $19.2 million.Your Name, on the other hand, had a budget of $7.5 million.
Genki Kawamura, the co-producer ofYour Name, stated inan interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
Because The Garden of Words took only 150 million yen [$1.3 million], we thought no matter how hard we tried Your Name could only do 10 times that amount, so the production and promotion budgets were kept really low, smaller than an average Toho release.
Shinkai’s previous film,The Garden of Words, was released on just 23 screens. The film has a complex story and it was an original work by Makoto Shinkai, however, it is nowhere near the level of success achieved bySuzume, Your NameorWeathering With You.
HowYour NameBeatSpirited Away
After the release ofYour Nameand it acheieved unbelievable success despite its low budget, Toho’s operating profit jumped by 30% for its first three quarters. According to the CEO of Toho, Yoshishige Shimatani, the greatness of Shinkai as a director was recognized by the young audiences. The news of the film was spread at a great speed via social media.
Makoto Shinkai Beats Hayao Miyazaki in 1 Aspect That Would Even Leave Him Impressed: ‘I do all the characters and all the voices’
Your Name‘s target audiencemight have been teenagers, but its beautiful story and heart-touching romance has pulled in people belonging to all age groups. According to a Tokyo businesswoman in her 50s,
As it was an anime, I thought it would be kind of silly; I don’t watch anime, I’ve never even seen one Miyazaki film. But the story of Your Name was really moving and actually made me cry.
Theidea of connected fatesand being destined to be with someone is a popular concept in not only Japan but also overseas. Thus, whenYour Nameportrayed the same emotions without making it feel cliched, people showered it with love. The wayYour Namedepicted its central theme and developed the story often makes people feel that the story has actually happened to them or long to be the protagonists.
Your Nameis available to watch on Crunchyroll.Spirited Awayis currently streaming on Max.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1556
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
