Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away' tops China box office 18 years after debut

Ghibli classic, Japan's most successful film ever, outshines Disney's 'Toy Story 4'

A "Spirited Away"-themed restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The movie was permitted release in China as the government works to improve relations with Japan. © AP

MARRIAN ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer

June 26, 2019 08:18 JST

NEW YORK -- Animation legend Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" has just enjoyed a record opening weekend for Japanese films in China, topping the charts 18 years after its initial release elsewhere and generating more than double the box-office revenue of the highly anticipated "Toy Story 4."

The Studio Ghibli classic grossed $27.9 million in mainland China in the first three days, according to Entgroup. "Toy Story 4," the popular Disney sequel, meanwhile, raked in $13.4 million.