Makoto Shinkai’s new film Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko) has sold 3 million tickets to earn more than 4 billion yen (about US$36.7 million) in its first 11 days.
Shinkai also said on Monday, “If I have summer vacation, I want to start thinking about my next film. If we don’t make it quickly, I’m not sure if people will be able to see it for another three years. I still have zero plan.” Shinkai’s mention of three years likely refers to his previous film, your name., which opened in Japan in July 2016.
Weathering With You opened in 359 theaters and 448 screens in Japan on July 19. The film sold 1,159,020 tickets to earn 1,643,809,400 yen (about US$15.22 million) in its first three days. The film sold 830,000 tickets and earned 1.185 billion yen (about US$10.98 million) from Saturday to Sunday.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will host the North American premiere of Weathering With You as part of its Special Presentations category. The film is eligible to win the Audience Award. The 44th TIFF will be held at theaters in Toronto, Ontario from September 5 to 15.
Shinkai confirmed that the film will get a worldwide release, and releases have already been decided for North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. GKIDS has licensed the film for North America, and will give the film an “awards qualifying” theatrical run this year before a wider screening with subtitles and an English dub in early 2020.
GKIDS describes the film:
The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strongwilled girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…
Shinkai is credited with the original work, and also directed and wrote the film’s scripts for CoMix Wave Films. Masayoshi Tanaka (your name., anohana, The Anthem of the Heart) designed the characters, Atsushi Tamura (The Cat Returns, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin) was the animation director, and Hiroshi Takiguchi (The Garden of Words, Ajin) was the art director. STORY inc. is credited as producer, and TOHO distributes the film. RADWIMPS’ Yōjirō Noda composed five vocal theme songs for the film, and the group also provided 27 background music songs for the film. Tōko Miura sang RADWIMPS’ “Grand Escape (Movie edit) feat. Toko Miura” and “Shukusai (Movie edit) feat. Toko Miura” theme songs for the film.
Shinkai also penned a novel adaptation of the film that debuted digitally and in print on July 18. The film’s soundtrack shipped on July 19. A manga adaptation by Watari Kubota launched in Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine on July 25.