Makoto Shinkai's latest anime film "Suzume" (Suzume no Tojimari) has been making waves at the box office since its release. The film has now earned over US$10 million at the U.S. box office, according to Crunchyroll.
"Suzume" opened in North America on April 14 and has been screened with both Japanese audio and English subtitles, as well as an English dub. The film earned an impressive US$5,001,705 in its opening weekend in the U.S.
The film previously opened in Japan at #1 on November 11 and has since become the 14th highest-earning film of all time in Japan, grossing a cumulative total of 14,310,602,380 yen (about US$109 million) as of March 26. "Suzume" surpassed the lifetime Japanese box office earnings of Shinkai's previous film "Weathering With You" (Tenki no Ko), which earned 14.23 billion yen (about US$108 million in current conversion).
In addition to its success in Japan and the U.S., "Suzume" has also ranked #1 on its opening day on many other countries' box office charts. The film has become the highest-selling Japanese anime in China of all time and has sold more tickets in South Korea than any other Japanese film.
Actress Nanoka Hara voices the heroine Suzume Iwato in the film, while Hokuto Matsumura, a member of the idol group SixTONES, made his voice acting debut as Sōta Munakata. Shinkai directed the film and wrote the screenplay, and he is also credited with the original story. Masayoshi Tanaka designed the characters, Kenichi Tsuchiya was the animation director, and Takumi Tanji was the art director. CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. produced the movie, with TOHO distributing it. Kazuma Jinnouchi and RADWIMPS composed the film's music, with Toaka performing one of the theme songs, "Suzume."
Overall, "Suzume" has continued Shinkai's streak of creating critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime films. Its captivating story, stunning animation, and memorable characters have resonated with audiences worldwide and made it one of the most successful anime films of all time.
