Ponyo Premiers Strong

Debut weekend results are in for Hayao Miyazaki’s latest picture, Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on a Cliff). The film rivals the opening weekend of Miyazaki’s 2001 film Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), having taken in 96.6% of the gross that Spirited Away earned in its first weekend of release (on its way to becoming Japan’s highest grossing film ever). Ponyo also attracted 1.4% more viewers in its initial weekend than Spirited Away did. Surprisingly, children accounted for less than 20% of Ponyo’s opening weekend viewers. Women made up an estimated 66% of the audience. 32% of viewers were in their 20s, while 30.7% were in their 30s.

The 11th Pokemon movie, “Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl: Giratina to Sora no Hanataba Shaymin,” opened in second place in the Japanese box office last weekend.

Source: Tokyograph & Anime News Network