"Kimi no Na wa", better known internationally with its English title "Your Name" has opened at the top of the Chinese market and is poised to become highest grossing Japanese film at the global box office. At the domestic market, "Kimi no Na wa" has already smashed box office records, becoming the second biggest film of all time in Japan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Makoto Shinkai feature length animated film about body-swapping teenagers has already earned 19.95 billion yen or $197.5 million for its 15-week run. It has officially overtaken the Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece "Howl's Moving Castle".
Prior to overtaking "Howl's Moving Castle", the film has already passed another Miyazaki film "Princess Mononoke". It has been the no. 1 film in Japan for 12 weeks and is no. 2 in the last three weeks next to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
Still occupying the top spot is Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" which has been the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, both domestic and international films, since its release. The film grossed 30.4 billion yen or $300 million in 2001.
At the rate it is going on, it would now be impossible for "Your Name" to overtake "Spirited Away" in the Japanese market. But its performance in international markets, like its opening at the no. 1 spot in China, could push "Your Name" to overtake the worldwide earnings of Miyazaki's "Spirited Away".
"Your Name" opened in China with $41 million which has been way higher than fellow anime "Stand By Me Doraemon" which was released in Asia's biggest market in 2015. The latest "Doraemon" ended its run in China with $100 million.
In November, Funimation announced that "Kimi no Na wa" (Your Name) was on the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Anime News Network reported. This came as no surprise considering that the animate film was positively received by critics, receiving 97% in Rotten Tomatoes and 81 out of 100 from Metacritic.