Latest Miyazaki film cleans up at local box office

Director Hayao Miyazaki’s newest animated film, “The Boy and the Heron,” from Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, premiered Wednesday at the top of the local box office.

Footage from the new film ″The Boy and The Heron″ [MEGABOX]

Director Hayao Miyazaki’s newest animated film, “The Boy and the Heron,” from Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, premiered Wednesday at the top of the local box office, accounting for 68 percent of advance ticket sales in Korean cinemas on the first day.

Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” had surpassed 230,000 in ticket presales on Tuesday, a day before its release in Korea.

The film was first released in Japan on July 14 and had its international premiere when it opened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7. Its international theater release started in Taiwan on Oct. 6. Korea was the next in line to premiere.

“The Boy and the Heron” is Miyazaki’s first film in 10 years, after his retirement announcement in 2013 with the animated movie “The Wind Rises.”

The fantasy adventure movie centers around Mahito, a young 11-year-old boy who meets a mysterious heron, leading him into an unknown world.

Mahito is a biographical character reflecting the director’s childhood. The other movie characters, including Mahito, also took reference from real-life people around the director, having their unique characteristics.

Joe Hisaishi, a renowned Japanese composer and music director, also took part in the film, known for making Ghibli animations’ soundtracks such as “Merry Go Round” (2004) and “One Summer’s Day” (2001).

The movie took seven years to be released, two and a half years for preparation and five years in production, according to a press release from Daewon Media.

The movie will be available in IMAX and Dolby Cinema theaters in Korea, a first for Studio Ghibli in Korea.

Miyazaki, the head director of Studio Ghibli, is known for his hit animated movies, including “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), “Spirited Away” (2001) and “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004).

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]