PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S.

Ash Ketchum · 09-14-09, 01:39 PM

Check out this news item from Anime News Network:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-13/miyazaki-ponyo-slides-to-no.21-with-$656000

PONYO has made more money theatrically than any other Miyazaki film released in the U.S.

However it's still only the fifth highest grossing anime film released to theaters in the U.S. The four highest grossing are...[cue theme song]...the first three Pokemon movies (POKEMON THE FIRST MOVIE, POKEMON THE MOVIE 2000, and POKEMON THE MOVIE 3: LORD OF THE UNKNOWN TOWER) and YU-GI-OH!: THE MOVIE.

(I was going to add this to my Pokemon thread, but I figured nobody would read it there.)

Even though my ardor for Miyazaki has cooled in the last seven years, it's nice to see one of his movies (his weakest, IMHO) finally make some money. And I'm happy to see the Pokemon movies at the top of the heap, even though so many of the later ones (esp. movies 6, 7 & 8) were so much better, but didn't rate a theatrical release at all.

The link isn't working, so I'll just copy and paste the story from ANN here:

The Box Office Mojo website reports that Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Ponyo anime film has earned an estimated US$656,000 during the September 11-13 weekend. In its fifth weekend in American theaters, Ponyo slides from #16 to #21 at the box office as it faces four new films. With 589 theaters (301 less than last weekend), Ponyo has an estimated per-screen average of US$1,114. Ticket sales has dropped 49.9% from last weekend.

With a current estimated total of US$14,362,000, Ponyo is still the fifth highest grossing theatrical anime release in the United States, below Pokemon 3 - The Movie (US$17,052,128). The only anime films with higher American box office totals are the first three Pokémon movies and Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie. After their fifth full weekend of release, Princess Mononoke (1999) had earned US$1,638,393 on 26 theaters, Spirited Away (2002) had earned US$3,424,435 on 151 theaters, and Howl's Moving Castle (2005) had earned US$3,817,641 on 177 theaters. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were also responsible for Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle.

Ponyo's story follows an ordinary boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas in the English dub) and his friendship with Ponyo (Noah Cyrus), an unusual goldfish from the seas. The other English-language castmembers include Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White. The Yahoo! Movies and Apple websites have been streaming the trailers.

Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself opened at #1 with approximately $24,030,000 in ticket sales. 9, Sorority Row and Whiteout debuted in 2nd, 6th and 7th spots respectively.

Giles · 09-14-09, 01:41 PM

really?! that's surprising ... and great news. I've seen it twice once on day of release, then a second time with some kids. However let's hope that Disney doesn't throw out 'Tales of Earthsea' and think THAT film will succeed.

TheBigDave · 09-14-09, 01:56 PM

You'd think that with Disney's backing and big name Hollywood stars these Miyazaki films would do better. I don't know why they didn't do more promotion on ABC or the various Disney channels. And they've got that Japan pavilion at EPCOT. Why not have a few costumed characters or put some Miyazaki stuff in that museum towards the back?

Giles · 09-14-09, 01:58 PM

question - does the Japanese Pavillion at EPCOT sell Studio Ghibli merchandise?

TheBigDave · 09-14-09, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giles

question - does the Japanese Pavillion at EPCOT sell Studio Ghibli merchandise?

It's been a year since I've been there. There's the Mitsukoshi Department Store, which makes up the bulk of the pavilion. I know they have an anime section, right up front. I remember seeing a Totoro and Catbus stuffed animal.

But what really stood out were the expensive anime figures in a glass case. It was mostly Evangelion stuff. Found a pic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheukiecfu/2648350464/

Corey31 · 09-14-09, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giles

really?! that's surprising ... and great news. I've seen it twice once on day of release, then a second time with some kids. However let's hope that Disney doesn't throw out 'Tales of Earthsea' and think THAT film will succeed.

Not really that surprising, it is also his widest release, the only film to even come close was the Spirited Away re-release after it won the Oscar.

I have yet to see it but it looks interesting, probably won't get a chance to see it until DVD now though.

dhmac · 09-14-09, 06:00 PM

Wow, that is surprising because I liked this one the least of all his films.

Is it because this has the widest release of any of his films? Or is it because of a lack of competition out now?

Ash Ketchum · 09-14-09, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigDave

You'd think that with Disney's backing and big name Hollywood stars these Miyazaki films would do better. I don't know why they didn't do more promotion on ABC or the various Disney channels.

There were commercials for it during Disney's Saturday morning block of programs on ABC.

manicsounds · 09-14-09, 07:23 PM

I dont get how Ghibli films can only make a fraction of the Japanese intake in theaters. The numbers to me are embarassing, considering the number of fans there are in the US.

Giles · 09-15-09, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhmac

Wow, that is surprising because I liked this one the least of all his films.

Is it because this has the widest release of any of his films? Or is it because of a lack of competition out now?

I'd say the latter.

Ash Ketchum · 09-15-09, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manicsounds

I dont get how Ghibli films can only make a fraction of the Japanese intake in theaters. The numbers to me are embarassing, considering the number of fans there are in the US.

The hardcore American Miyazaki fans do not constitute the family audience needed to make these films hits in theaters. The first three Pokemon movies hit big because they had a major studio (Warner Bros.) backing them and they came off a high tide of Pokemon awareness and popularity among moviegoing family audiences, thanks to the games and the TV show. Miyazaki films do not come with that type of audience awareness. They're not based on pre-sold properties. Plus, they're quite a bit more challenging than the average animated family film. They usually find most of their family audience after the theatrical release when the families have time to discover the films on tape or DVD or TV showings and they get word-of-mouth from peers.

WTK · 09-15-09, 11:44 PM

I'm not that surprised by this (especially after all the promotions that they have done). Miyazaki releases just aren't as popular (understatement) as Japan. Even I saw this in the theater already, I'm looking forward to the upcoming release in likely BD (in December).

GenPion · 09-19-09, 03:40 PM

I'm so excited by the fact this should be receiving a Blu-ray release. I wonder if Spirited Away or one of the other Miyazaki films will come out on Blu-ray the same time to coincide? Should be awesome!

WTK · 09-19-09, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenPion

I'm so excited by the fact this should be receiving a Blu-ray release. I wonder if Spirited Away or one of the other Miyazaki films will come out on Blu-ray the same time to coincide? Should be awesome!

Ponyo is expected to have a DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo releases. It doesn't look like any other Ghibli BD releases is coming any time soon. Though it's expected that Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro will receive special edition re-releases (DVD).

manicsounds · 09-21-09, 05:34 AM

UltimateDisney says the same that rereleases are forthcoming, but I don't know what they would add to these "Special Editions", but I am curious to see. I guess we should be expecting an announcement for it by next month

theguyoverthere · 10-07-09, 10:49 AM

Forget the re-releases, I want to know when Ponyo is being released in R1-land! If it's not out by Christmas, I may well have to go get the R3.

MR Round · 10-17-09, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theguyoverthere

Forget the re-releases, I want to know when Ponyo is being released in R1-land! If it's not out by Christmas, I may well have to go get the R3.

It's rumored to be coming out Dec-15th

WTK · 10-19-09, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR Round

It's rumored to be coming out Dec-15th

It's been known for a couple weeks that it won't be released in December. And today, it was revealed that it won't be released until March.

MR Round · 10-20-09, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTK

It's been known for a couple weeks that it won't be released in December. And today, it was revealed that it won't be released until March.

March??? thats a bummer. Thank you for letting me know though

WTK · 10-22-09, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR Round

March??? thats a bummer. Thank you for letting me know though

My local Suncoast has a release date for Ponyo. It's available for pre-order @ your local TWEC chain stores. The release date listed was 3/2/2010. It remains to be seen if this date will hold up.

DVD (Reg): $29.99
DVD (SE): $34.99
Blu-ray: $39.99

manicsounds · 10-26-09, 12:50 AM

December 8th, according to AsianBluRayGuide

Quote:

Good news for those of us who want to see Hayao Miyazaki's latest Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea in glorious HD as soon as possible without paying a premium price for the Japanese Blu-ray Disc release. According to Rope of Silicone, Walt Disney Home Entertainment will bring the significant cheaper US DVD and Blu-ray Disc release on the same day as in Japan, meaning December 8th. So the October date mentioned back in July was (just as espected) just some retailer related date.

[Oct. 20] Update: According to a tweet from Disney producer Frank Marshall, Ponyo will be released in the US in March 2010! I asked him about the date Rope of Silicone stated but I didn't receive an answer yet. Hard to believe that Disney won't take advantage of the upcoming Christmas sales, especially since a French BD release for December was announced two days ago. [via The Ghibli Blog]

WTK · 10-30-09, 07:27 PM

...and picture of the SE (w/Plush) release.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANN

Frank Marshall, the co-producer of the North American release of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Ponyo film, confirmed on his personal Twitter account on Thursday evening that the film's DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) releases will both ship on March 2. He added that a 2-Disc DVD & Plush Gift Set will bundle a plush doll of the title character for a limited time only. While a similar BD-and-plush gift set has not been scheduled, Marshall said that "if the DVD version works, there could be a Blu-Ray plush version."

Marshall acknowledged that the home video releases was originally slated for December 8, but noted that the final releases will include "a fabulous journey into the World of Ghibli." However, he said the Japanese Ponyo wa Kōshite Umareta ~Miyazaki Hayao no Shisō Katei~ (Ponyo Was Born Like This: Hayao Miyazaki's Thought Process) documentary will only be available in Japan.

The film is still playing in American theaters, where it has grossed US$15,050,041 as of this past Sunday.

Source: Nausicaa.net

manicsounds · 10-30-09, 10:01 PM

Oh well, looks like the 12 and a half hour documentary won't be included, but as long as the US version has all the BD extras from Japan, then it should be good.

That will be my reason to upgrade from the current DVD, which was pretty boring on extras....

manicsounds · 12-05-09, 06:36 AM

from dvdtimes:

Quote:

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment have announced the US DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Ponyo on 2nd March 2010. The latest film from director Hayao Miyazaki is inspired by the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Little Mermaid” and also incorporates a very contemporary concern for nature. The plot centres around a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke, and wants to become a human girl.

Priced at $39.99 SRP on Blu-ray Disc and $29.99 SRP on 2-Disc DVD, extras include:
The World of Ghibli- Allows fans to immerse themselves in the amazing worlds from each film created by legendary filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki in this multi-layered interactive experience. Lands to explore include:
Ponyo’s Land
Kiki’s Land
Castle’s Land
Totoro’s Land
Behind the Studio- Unprecedented access to all the background, inspiration and process behind the making of Ponyo and the inner workings of Studio Ghibli through a series of documentaries. They include all new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, and composer Joe Hisaishi. Also included in this feature are:
Creating Ponyo
Ponyo & Fujimoto
The Nursery
Behind the Microphone: The Voice of Ponyo
Producers Perspective: Telling the Story
Scoring Miyazaki
The Scenery in Ghibli
Original Japanese Trailer

Different extras it seems, compared to the Japanese release.

Laughoutloud · 12-07-09, 01:35 PM

I saw this with the wife..very classic styled anime.

09-14-09, 01:56 PM	#3
TheBigDave DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: USA Posts: 2,067	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. You'd think that with Disney's backing and big name Hollywood stars these Miyazaki films would do better. I don't know why they didn't do more promotion on ABC or the various Disney channels. And they've got that Japan pavilion at EPCOT. Why not have a few costumed characters or put some Miyazaki stuff in that museum towards the back? __________________ Speedy thing goes in. Speedy thing comes out.

09-14-09, 01:58 PM	#4
Giles DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Washington DC Posts: 25,179	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. question - does the Japanese Pavillion at EPCOT sell Studio Ghibli merchandise? __________________ 4th Annual Academy Award Challenge 2010 Film List / Unrated-Alternate-Director's Cuts: DVD (updates) / Concert Diary / My DVD collection

09-14-09, 06:00 PM	#7
dhmac DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 3,743	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. Wow, that is surprising because I liked this one the least of all his films. Is it because this has the widest release of any of his films? Or is it because of a lack of competition out now? __________________ One man's awesome is another man's teh suck

09-14-09, 07:23 PM	#9
manicsounds DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 1,345	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. I dont get how Ghibli films can only make a fraction of the Japanese intake in theaters. The numbers to me are embarassing, considering the number of fans there are in the US. __________________ the evergrowing standard def\|bluray babysteps

09-15-09, 11:44 PM	#12
WTK Anime Talk Contributor Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: MN Posts: 4,682	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. I'm not that surprised by this (especially after all the promotions that they have done). Miyazaki releases just aren't as popular (understatement) as Japan. Even I saw this in the theater already, I'm looking forward to the upcoming release in likely BD (in December). __________________ Anime Talk: COLUMN \| FORUM // Anime Bargains Thread (Mar '10) \| TWEC In-Store Backstage Pass Coupons Thread My Countdown Counting down to: Toradora! Boxset 1 106 days 5 hours 34 minutes

09-14-09, 01:39 PM	#1
Ash Ketchum DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,227	PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. Check out this news item from Anime News Network: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-13/miyazaki-ponyo-slides-to-no.21-with-$656000 PONYO has made more money theatrically than any other Miyazaki film released in the U.S. However it's still only the fifth highest grossing anime film released to theaters in the U.S. The four highest grossing are...[cue theme song]...the first three Pokemon movies (POKEMON THE FIRST MOVIE, POKEMON THE MOVIE 2000, and POKEMON THE MOVIE 3: LORD OF THE UNKNOWN TOWER) and YU-GI-OH!: THE MOVIE. (I was going to add this to my Pokemon thread, but I figured nobody would read it there.) Even though my ardor for Miyazaki has cooled in the last seven years, it's nice to see one of his movies (his weakest, IMHO) finally make some money. And I'm happy to see the Pokemon movies at the top of the heap, even though so many of the later ones (esp. movies 6, 7 & 8) were so much better, but didn't rate a theatrical release at all. The link isn't working, so I'll just copy and paste the story from ANN here: The Box Office Mojo website reports that Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Ponyo anime film has earned an estimated US$656,000 during the September 11-13 weekend. In its fifth weekend in American theaters, Ponyo slides from #16 to #21 at the box office as it faces four new films. With 589 theaters (301 less than last weekend), Ponyo has an estimated per-screen average of US$1,114. Ticket sales has dropped 49.9% from last weekend. With a current estimated total of US$14,362,000, Ponyo is still the fifth highest grossing theatrical anime release in the United States, below Pokemon 3 - The Movie (US$17,052,128). The only anime films with higher American box office totals are the first three Pokémon movies and Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie. After their fifth full weekend of release, Princess Mononoke (1999) had earned US$1,638,393 on 26 theaters, Spirited Away (2002) had earned US$3,424,435 on 151 theaters, and Howl's Moving Castle (2005) had earned US$3,817,641 on 177 theaters. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were also responsible for Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. Ponyo's story follows an ordinary boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas in the English dub) and his friendship with Ponyo (Noah Cyrus), an unusual goldfish from the seas. The other English-language castmembers include Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White. The Yahoo! Movies and Apple websites have been streaming the trailers. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself opened at #1 with approximately $24,030,000 in ticket sales. 9, Sorority Row and Whiteout debuted in 2nd, 6th and 7th spots respectively. Last edited by Ash Ketchum; 09-14-09 at 01:45 PM.

09-14-09, 01:41 PM	#2
Giles DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Washington DC Posts: 25,179	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. really?! that's surprising ... and great news. I've seen it twice once on day of release, then a second time with some kids. However let's hope that Disney doesn't throw out 'Tales of Earthsea' and think THAT film will succeed. __________________ 4th Annual Academy Award Challenge 2010 Film List / Unrated-Alternate-Director's Cuts: DVD (updates) / Concert Diary / My DVD collection

09-19-09, 03:40 PM	#13
GenPion DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Lost Island Posts: 3,152	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. I'm so excited by the fact this should be receiving a Blu-ray release. I wonder if Spirited Away or one of the other Miyazaki films will come out on Blu-ray the same time to coincide? Should be awesome! __________________ My Setup: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch Plasma HDTV / Denon 1909 7.1 Receiver / Onkyo SKS-HT540 5.1 Surround / Sony 40 GB Playstation 3 / HD-DVD Player HD-A30 My DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray Collection "The film of tomorrow will not be directed by civil servants of the camera, but by artists for whom shooting a film constitutes a wonderful and thrilling adventure." - François Truffaut My Countdown Counting down to: The Premiere of the final season of LOST I'll be enjoying having my mind messed with for one more glourious season!

09-21-09, 05:34 AM	#15
manicsounds DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 1,345	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. UltimateDisney says the same that rereleases are forthcoming, but I don't know what they would add to these "Special Editions", but I am curious to see. I guess we should be expecting an announcement for it by next month __________________ the evergrowing standard def\|bluray babysteps

10-07-09, 10:49 AM	#16
theguyoverthere Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: WA Posts: 352	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. Forget the re-releases, I want to know when Ponyo is being released in R1-land! If it's not out by Christmas, I may well have to go get the R3. __________________ Why did you have to die, DVDSpot? My Collection (Sadly on DVDAf)

10-30-09, 10:01 PM	#23
manicsounds DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 1,345	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. Oh well, looks like the 12 and a half hour documentary won't be included, but as long as the US version has all the BD extras from Japan, then it should be good. That will be my reason to upgrade from the current DVD, which was pretty boring on extras.... __________________ the evergrowing standard def\|bluray babysteps

12-07-09, 01:35 PM	#25
Laughoutloud New Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 8	Re: PONYO is Miyazaki's biggest hit in the U.S. I saw this with the wife..very classic styled anime.