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Belle to Earn Estimated US$2 Million in U.S. in Opening Weekend, Setting New Record for Mamoru Hosoda Film
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Entertainment news outlet Deadline reported on Sunday that Mamoru Hosoda's BELLE (Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime) anime film will earn more than an estimated US$2 million from Thursday through Monday on 1,326 screens in the United States. The earnings would make the film the highest-grossing film from director Hosoda in the U.S. Mirai previously held the record with US$812,000.
Box Office Mojo reported that the film earned an estimated US$1,645,800 from Friday to Sunday, ranking at #6 at the box office. The film earned US$727,005 on Friday and US$486,421 on Saturday, beating GKIDS' expectations.
According to GKIDS director of distribution Chance Huskey, the film is the highest-grossing original anime film (not tied to a franchise) in the U.S. since Weathering With You in 2020.
GKIDS began screening the film in English and in Japanese with English subtitles in the U.S. on Friday. IMAX previews opened in select theaters on Wednesday.
BELLE opened in Japan on July 16. The film had IMAX screenings in 38 theaters throughout Japan. This makes BELLE the first of Hosoda's films to have IMAX screenings. The film has earned a cumulative total of 6.53 billion yen (about US$56.9 million) as of December 12. The film is Hosoda's highest-grossing film. MX4D screenings for the film opened on October 22.
Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, The Boy and The Beast, Mirai) directed and scripted the film, and is also credited for the original work. The film marks Studio Chizu's 10th anniversary. Taisei Iwasaki (Blood Blockade Battlefront, Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan, The Naked Director) is the film's music director and composer.
Sources: Deadline (Jill Goldsmith), Box Office Mojo
