"Kimi no Na Wa" aka "Your Name" did not fail to impress its Korean viewers. After topping the box-office in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, the Japanese animated film made history as one of the top-grossing animated films of all time in South Korea.
Due to the success of "Your Name" in South Korea, creator Makoto Shinkai will come back to the country as promised. Shinkai served as both the writer and director of the animated film. The helmer promised that once the film crosses 3 million admissions, he will return to South Korea.
According to Yonhap News, its local imported Media Castle said currently discussing visit schedules with the filmmaker. He made the promise during the film's promotional activity earlier this month.
The movie earned $5 million in the first week alone in South Korea. It was released on Jan. 4. Even Shinkai could not believe it will turn out as big as this, that it nabbed the worldwide highest grossing record from the Oscar winner "Spirited Away."
For the record, "Your Name" is the only anime film from Japan that made it to the Top 10 most-watched animated films in the country. The rest are all from Hollywood, with "Frozen" landing on the top spot at 10.29 million. "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Inside Out" came in second and third, respectively.
"Your Name" is a romantic fantasy drama that follows Taki and Mitsura who have switched bodies. It was distributed by Megabox Plus M and first premiered at the 2016 Anime Expo last July. It is schedule to be released in 92 countries.
It was record-breaking in Japan as it topped the box office list for 12 non-consecutive weekends. Aside from Asian countries, it was already released in limited run in United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
When will the animated film come to the States and Canada? Inquirer reported that Funimation announced that it will be shown in U.S. and Canadian theaters on April 7. It will run in subbed formats and in English dub to accommodate English-speaking fans.