China Box Office: ‘Boy and the Heron’ Sails to $94M, ‘Godzilla x Kong’ Hits $110M

Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning anime The Boy and the Heron floated to an easy second-weekend win at China’s theatrical box office, earning $12.8 million from Friday to Sunday, according to data from Artisan Gateway. The Studio Ghibli blockbuster has now earned $93.8 million in China, with local ticketing app Maoyan projecting that it will soon sail past the $100 million mark.

Miyazaki has previously suggested that The Boy and the Heron will be his last feature — but the 82-year-old anime legend has publicly retired twice before, only to eventually return to his drawing table. In any case, Studio Ghibli will continue to be a presence at China’s multiplexes. The fabled company has been steadily rereleasing Miyazaki’s back catalog over recent years. Next up is Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), scheduled for wide release in the country on April 30. Jack Ma’s Alibaba Pictures is also at work on creating an immersive Studio Ghibli exhibition in Shanghai. 

Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire continued stomping its way to strong earnings in The Boy and the Heron‘s wake. The giant monster movie added $10.7 million in its third frame. The tentpole’s China total sits at $110.3 million and is projected to climb as high as $130 million. The film’s global cume is $436.6 million through Sunday. Mary Parent, Legendary’s chairwoman of worldwide production, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio was in a “good position to continue the journey” with the Godzilla x Kong franchise. 

Universal Pictures’ Kung Fu Panda 4 held on to third place, adding $2.5 million to its total, which finished the weekend at $45.6 million. 

China’s 2024 theatrical box office revenue total currently sits at $2.55 billion, up 6 percent on 2023 over the same period.