Breaking News: Iconic Studio Ghibli Shatters Records with Jaw-Dropping Budget for Hayao Miyazaki's Latest Masterpiece!

Highlights

Studio Ghibli's upcoming film, The Boy and the Heron, potentially has the highest budget of any Japanese film ever produced.

The film's precise budget remains undisclosed, but it is anticipated to surpass the previous record holder, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which had a budget of ¥5 billion. Despite the film's plot being shrouded in secrecy, it has garnered positive reactions from Japanese audiences and has already exceeded ¥6 billion in domestic box office sales.

Studio Ghibli has kept silent regarding their upcoming film, The Boy and the Heron. However, a high-ranking executive from the studio has revealed an impressive detail - the film is believed to have the largest budget of any Japanese film, whether it be anime or live-action, to ever be produced. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, in an article from Livedoor News, claimed that this film is the most expensive production in Japan. Suzuki stated, "I believe that this movie probably had the highest production cost compared to any other film made in Japan thus far." As one of the original founders of Studio Ghibli, alongside Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata in 1985, Suzuki is undoubtedly a trustworthy source when it comes to understanding the production of this final film from the studio's renowned director.

The budget for the film, The Boy and the Heron, has not been revealed, but it is expected to be impressive. The previous record holder for the most expensive Japanese film was another Ghibli anime, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which reportedly cost ¥5 billion yen. When adjusted for inflation, this roughly equates to over $64 million USD in 2023. Given this, it wouldn't be surprising if The Boy and the Heron exceeded that budget.

Plot details for The Boy and the Heron have been kept under wraps so as not to spoil the experience for audiences. Initial reactions from Japanese audiences and critics have praised the film for its visually stunning and fantastical elements. Originally, the film's English title was "How Do You Live?", taken from a beloved Japanese novel written in 1937 that Miyazaki has a strong connection to. However, it's important to note that The Boy and the Heron is not a direct adaptation of the novel.

The Boy and the Heron has exceeded ¥6 billion yen at the box office in Japan since its recent release, according to Japan's Mantan Web. Determining a movie's profitability involves more complex calculations than simply subtracting the budget from the gross, but the film's reliance on word-of-mouth marketing, a daring choice influenced by Suzuki himself, means that there are fewer additional expenses for promotional campaigns. While it hasn't reached the box-office records set by previous Miyazaki films (such as Spirited Away, which earned over ¥31 billion yen), the film's domestic run in Japan is still ongoing, not to mention its success in international markets.

Referred to as the final film by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki (although not the first time such claims have been made), Studio Ghibli has intentionally kept details about The Boy and the Heron under wraps. They have only released one official marketing poster and have opted not to engage in large-scale press promotions or even release a theatrical trailer. GKIDS is scheduled to distribute the film in North American theaters in 2023, but a specific release date has yet to be announced.