‘The Boy and the Heron’ Makes Box Office History as the First Japanese Animated Film to Debut at #1 on the Domestic Box Office

Hayao Miyazaki‘s ‘The Boy and the Heron‘ made history as the first Japanese animated film to debut at #1 on the US Box Office, earning $12.8 million during its opening weekend. It’s also Miyazaki’s first film to reach the top spot in the US box office.

Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance‘ drops 77% to $5 million, trailing Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour.’ ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ hits $135.6 million; ‘Godzilla: Minus One‘ dominates with $25.3 million.’Trolls Band Together‘ takes fourth at $6.2 million, while ‘Waitress: The Musical‘ debuts at $3.2 million.

What is the Plot of ‘The Boy and the Heron’?

Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.

The English dub voice cast includes Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki, Robert Pattinson as The Grey Heron, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, Mark Hamill as Granduncle, Florence Pugh as Kiriko, Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King, Denise Pickering as Izumi (Maid #1), Barbara Rosenblat as Utako (Maid #2), Melora Harte as Eriko (Maid #3), Barbara Goodson as Aiko (Maid #4), and Karen Takizawa as Warawara.

Robert Pattinson Nails ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Voice Using iPhone Recordings Before Filming

In an interview with IndieWire, Voice director Michael Sinterniklaas revealed that Pattinson showed up with iPhone voice recordings and had already nailed the voice for ‘The Boy and the Heron’ before the recording started. It was his first-ever voice role, and he finished in two days. Sinterniklaas said, “He knew he could do it.” Uhler added, “And he showed up and delivered magic.”

‘The Boy and the Heron’ is now playing in theaters.