‘Suzume’ Debut Tops Chinese Box Office With $50.7M Opening

Makoto Shinkai’s latest animated feature Suzume began its Chinese theatrical run with a bang over the weekend, grossing $50.7 million for the three-day frame.

Suzume’s Chinese debut was the largest of any non-Chinese film this year and the largest for a non-holiday release. According to the ticketing service Maoyan, Suzume should make around $90 million by the time it’s done in Chinese theaters, which would be the best-ever total for a Japanese animated film there.

Suzume’s $50.7 million Chinese debut also did the lion’s share of the work in pushing the film into the second spot at the worldwide box office for the weekend, where it grossed $57.7 million in total. The film has only been released in seven territories but has already generated a massive $182.4 million lifetime haul at the global box office.

Before Suzumez, Shinkai was already one of Japan’s top box office draws and he has only solidified that position with his latest outing. The film premiered in Japan last year with the strongest opening in the blockbuster director’s career, surpassing the debuts of Weathering with You and Your Name. Still in theaters, Suzume has grossed $105 million in its native territory.

Suzume now boasts the largest Chinese debut for a Shinkai title as well. In 2016, Your Name debuted with $41.3 million on its way to an $83.7 million total and in 2019, Weathering With You opened with $22 million, eventually grossing $40.8 million.

Ahead Suzume’s major western debuts, the film was selected to screen in the main competition at February’s Berlin Film Festival. English-language dubbed and subtitled versions will hit theaters in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Ireland on April 14. Its U.S. distribution is being handled exclusively by Crunchyroll.