Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved 1997 feature Princess Mononoke proved to be a royal success in U.S. IMAX theaters this weekend, with an estimated $4 million box office from 330 theaters. The 4K re-release of the classic 1997 feature by distributer GKIDS landed at the number six spot in the weekly box office chart.
Coincidentally, the re-release happened during a week where social media was flooded with Studio Ghibli-style images generated by a new ChatGPT and OpenAI option. Many fans and animation industry professionals have expressed their anger and dismay about this new AI feature which mimics a hand-crafted look perfected by the Japanese studio over decades. (Among the famous reworked pop culture and political memes are a reworked trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, scenes from The Sopranos, and the distracted boyfriend image.)
Chance Huskey, VP of distribution for GKIDS, said, “In a time when technology tries to replicate humanity, we are thrilled that audiences value a theatrical experience that respects and celebrates Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece in all its cinematic hand-drawn glory.”
An Ecologically Themed Masterpiece
First released in 1997, Princess Mononoke was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It broke many box office records in Japan and became the biggest box office film in the country. was released by Miramax in the U.S. and went on to gross $194.3 million through various theatrical and home media releases. The beautifully animated feature is set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history and follows a young Emishi prince who sets out to cure his cursed arm. He becomes involved with the conflict between the people of Iron Town and Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves who bravely fights against the destruction of nature and her home. The movie has a solid 93% review score on Rotten Tomatoes. The English-language version features the voices of Claire Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver and Billy Crudup. The majestic score is by Joe Hisaishi.
The weekend’s number-one movie was the Jason Statham action feature A Working Man which grossed $5.6 million. Disney’s live-action take on Snow White dropped to the number-two spot with a $4.2 million weekend and an estimated $52.6 million overall cume. Plagued by negative publicity, the movie has grossed over $100.2 million worldwide.
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