Dec 11, 2023

'The Boy and the Hare' Becomes First Original 2D Animated Film to Top U.S. Box Office Since 2009's 'The Princess and the Frog'

Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Hare" became the first 2D original animated feature since Disney's 2009 film "The Princess and the Frog" to rank first at the weekend box office.

Studio Ghibli's "The Boy and the Hare," distributed by GKIDS in just over 2,200 U.S. theaters, grossed $12.97 million in its debut frame, including Thursday previews, for a three-day (Friday through Sunday) total of $10.4 million. Both numbers were the largest ever for a U.S. debut for both the director and the studio.

"The Boy and the Hare" also became distributor GKID's highest-grossing film of all time, already surpassing Makoto Shinkai's "Weather With You," which the company released in 486 theaters in 2020 (grossing $7.8 million).

"The Boy and the Hare" grossed $12.97 million, surpassing "One Piece Film" and becoming the 12th highest-grossing animated film in U.S. box office history: $12.78 million for "Red. It is also on track to become Hayao Miyazaki's highest-grossing film in the region. Currently, "Ponyo" holds that honor, with $15.1 million for all of its theatrical releases in 2009.

The most notable milestones for "The Boy and the Hare" last weekend included:

"The Boy and the Hare" also made the world's top 10 animated feature films of the year. According to Comscore, the film's current worldwide gross is estimated at $114.2 million, slightly ahead of the $116.5 million for the same animated film, "Detective Conan: Karaben no Koiga (Black Iron Submarine)."

DreamWorks' "Trolls Band Together" and Disney's "Wish" both rounded out the weekend's top five at the domestic box office; Trolls added $6.2 million for a fourth-place weekend with a slight 20.8% drop from the previous week, bringing its domestic total Wish earned a fifth-place weekend of $5.3 million, bringing its three-week domestic total to $49.4 million.