A Bright Future for Studio Ghibli in China?

A Brief look at the success of Studio Ghibli in China, its past, present and possible future.

The Boy and the Heron from Studio Ghibli and the acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was in all metrics a soaring success. In terms of critical success it received critical acclaim winning awards such as the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Financially the film fared equally well, grossing over $300 million in its worldwide box office haul.

What you might be surprised to learn however, is that its largest theatrical market was not its domestic Japanese market where it grossed over $60 million, but in China where its gross surpassed $95 million. Regardless of the difference in population between the two countries, it is worthy to ask, how did the first-ever Studio Ghibli film to debut in China during its initial release surpass the box office haul of its domestic Japan, where Studio Ghibli has been an animation mainstay for nearly 40 years?

There’s a few reasons for the strong performance of The Boy and the Heron in China. Despite the lack of theatrical releases of the studio’s films, Studio Ghibli still had a presence in China through direct to video releases and online pirated downloads. It is also worthwhile to note that in April 2024, during the same month as the film opened, Studio Ghibli opened an immersive exhibition on the studio’s history in Shanghai, which will run until late October. This no doubt motivated some audience members in Shanghai to catch the studio’s latest film on the big screen.

Another potential reason for the strong performance of The Boy and the Heron, is the recent trend of releases of the studios older films into Chinese cinemas. Due to China allowing only a limited number of foreign films to be shown in its theaters annually, and the history of poor political ties between China and Japan, no Studio Ghibli films before The Boy and the Heron were theatrically released in China upon their original release. This all changed six years before the release of The Boy and the Heron, when China allowed some of the studio’s older movies to be theatrically released in the country. The first of which was in 2018 when Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 classic, My Neighbour Totoro became the first of the studio’s films to be screened in Chinese cinemas. Over its Chinese release, it gathered over $25 million and opened the doors for the studio’s other films to be theatrically in the country as well. The other most notable release was only a year later when another of Hayao Miyazaki ‘s beloved films, Spirited Away, which 18 years after its original release in 2001, had its first theatrical release in China in 2019, grossing over $70 million.

It seems then, that despite a lack of a traditional release schedule, model and media presence, Studio Ghibli’s films had nevertheless taken root in China, most likely for the same reasons their films are beloved all over the world, for their storytelling, artistry, fantastic animation, magical worlds and complex and deep characters. It seems clear that the Chinese market has undoubtedly become an important one for the Japanese studio. One point of interest however is the lack of a theatrical Chinese release for any of the studio’s films not directed by Hayao Miyazaki. If Studio Ghibli continues to persevere and produce animated features in a future without Hayao Miyazaki, it seems that only time will tell if any of its newer fare or other long delayed releases of its older films not directed by its most prolific director and a founding member of the studio will find success in the Chinese theatrical market.