Naman Ramachandran Bollywood A-list actor Ayushmann Khurrana scored another major hit in 2023 with comedy sequel “Dream Girl 2.” But he is still happy to have achieved what he describes as “validation.” The film was one of several medium budget Hindi-language films that became box office successes, including “OMG 2,” “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway,” “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” “Satyaprem Ki Katha” and “12th Fail.” These effectively debunked the notion that only big budget spectacles like “Pathaan” or “Jawan” would work at the post-pandemic Bollywood box office, which had a poor 2022. “There was a conspiracy theory, maybe a year back, that Indian audiences [were] only looking for spectacles or larger-than-life films, but this year, a lot of films, which not really big budget but mid budget, did really well,” Khurrana told Variety.
Box Office: ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Rises to No. 1 in North America With Projected $10 Million Debut
09.12.2023 - 16:27 / variety.com
J. Kim Murphy Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” looks to soar atop domestic charts this weekend after earning about $5.4 million across Friday and various preview screenings. Playing in 2,205 theaters, the GKids release has the benefit of Imax and other premium large format auditoriums to boost those numbers.
It’s another modest win for theaters in a marketplace that may not ever recover to pre-COVID levels. “The Boy and the Heron” is the latest in a series of more successful targeted event releases with smaller marketing spends. See last weekend’s openings of “Godzilla Minus One”, staying in third place for its sophomore outing, or even “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” which topped charts in its debut.
Then there’s previous animated features from established anime like last year’s “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” ($38 million domestic) or the first “Demon Slayer” ($49 million domestic). Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli generally don’t dabble in IP; but, after a bunch of classics such as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” they have franchise-level draw on name alone. It’s been a gradual global rollout for “The Boy and the Heron,” which has already spirited away $84 million internationally, including $56 million in its native Japan (released under the title “How Do You Live?”), where it ranks as the third-highest grossing release of the year.
The 82-year-old Miyazaki had previously announced his retirement following his last feature, 2013’s war romance “The Wind Rises” — his return to filmmaking has played as an event. Early audiences are approving, with an “A-” grade on Cinema Score, and the film has earned critical raves typical for the animation master. Of course, it’s easy for “The Boy and the
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Boy wonder- Japanese fantasy ‘Boy and the Heron’ leads box office
according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.The Japanese animated fantasy, which The Washington Post called a “magical, otherworldly tale,” is expected to enjoy a $10.7 to 12 million opening weekend, Deadline reported.It is the only entirely foreign film to lead the weekend box office this year, the first since August 2022’s “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.”In second place was “Godzilla Minus One,” with a $2.25 million take. The film, which is the 37th in the Godzilla franchise, now holds the title ofBiggest Single-Day Domestic Box Office For A Foreign Live-Action Film, according to Screen Rant.Queen Bey was dethroned this week as Beyoncé’s film, which was in first place last week, fell down to third.Her documentary concert movie “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” took injust $1.6 million, a drop of 75% since last Friday.“Trolls Band Together,” which debuted on Nov.
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Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy And The Heron’ Soars To $2M+ Previews, Eyes $10M+ Opening – Box Office
After one Japanese title delivered at the sleepy December box office last weekend, that being Godzilla Minus One, here’s another that’s set to dominate: Studio Ghibli and GKIDS’ Hayao Miyazaki‘s The Boy and the Heron which is looking at a No. 1 lead with $10M+ after $2.39M Thursday and early access previews.
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Consequence). “We had a million inside jokes that nobody understood.