Inside Japan’s Historic First at U.S. Box Office – With 2 Movies in Top 3

Early December is usually a time when Hollywood studios hold off on releasing big films in theaters. This year, that traditional strategy paved the way for Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” and Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” to make box office history for Japan.

For the first time ever, two Japanese movies cracked the top 3 of the U.S. box office. “The Boy and the Heron,” produced by Studio Ghibli, earned an opening weekend of $12.3 million, marking the first time that an original anime film has taken the No. 1 spot and setting a company record for U.S.