Today Box Office Mojo has begun listing Studio Ponoc and Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Mary and The Witch's Flower anime film with total box office earnings of US$1,497,483 in the United States as of January 21. GKIDS and Fathom Events opened the anime in U.S. theaters on January 18, when it earned US$1,167,431, and it earned another US$330,052 on January 19-21. On January 18, the film had a per-screen average of US$2,037 in 573 theaters.
The film originally opened in Japan back in July of 2017 and earned 3 billion yen (US$28 million). The home video release is slated for March 20th in Japan.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed Studio Ghibli's Arrietty and When Marnie Was There, directed Mary and The Witch's Flower, and also penned the script for the film alongside Riko Sakaguchi, who wrote the screenplay for Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Takatsugu Muramatsu (When Marnie Was There) composed the music. Yoshiaki Nishimura is credited as producer. The staff page on the film's website further noted that many former staff from Studio Ghibli joined Ponoc in the film's production.
Check out the official trailer for Mary and the Witch's Flower right now down below!
The BFG's Ruby Barnhill stars in the dub as the titular character Mary, and Kate Winslet (Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Mountain Between Us) plays school chairwoman Madam Mumblechook. Jim Broadbent, who co-starred with Winslet in Iris, plays Mumblechook's colleague Doctor Dee. Other cast members include Ewen Bremner, Lynda Baron, Rasmus Hardiker, Teresa Gallagher, Morwenna Banks, and Louis Ashbourne Serkis.
The film is based on Mary Stewart's book The Little Broomstick. Studio Ponoc scouted locations in Shropshire, U.K., the setting of the original novel. The Japanese version stars Hana Sugisaki (When Marnie Was There, live-action Blade of the Immortal) as Mary and Ryunosuke Kamiki (The Secret World of Arrietty's Sho, your name.'s Taki) as Peter.
What are your thoughts on the news? Have you seen the film? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know down in the comments and as always, stay tuned for more anime news!