Studio Ghibli announces ‘The Boy and the Heron’ movie program containing film’s secret details
By Bryan Ke
Studio Ghibli is releasing a movie program for its latest film, “The Boy and the Heron.”
The announcement: Japanese film distributor TOHO announced in a tweet on Monday that an official pamphlet for Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron” (“Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka,” or “How Do You Live?” in English) will be released at the company’s theaters, where the film is currently screening, starting on Friday for 820 yen (approximately $5.72).
Why it matters: Studio Ghibli previously refused to release any media materials that would give moviegoers an idea of what “The Boy and the Heron” is about before its release in Japanese theaters on July 14, except for a poster that features a heron.
The lack of publicity, which caused the movie’s director Hayao Miyazaki to worry, was part of Studio Ghibli co-founder and President Toshio Suzuki’s marketing approach. “The Boy and the Heron” notably serves as Miyazaki’s final film after coming out of retirement in late 2021.
About the program: The contents of the program are still being kept under wraps, but SoraNews24 reported that it will have 40 pages and be in “full color.”
Reception so far: Despite the lack of publicity before its release, “The Boy and the Heron” is reportedly performing well at the Japanese box office, with the latest reported gross to be over 5 billion yen (approximately $34.9 million), building on its successful opening weekend earnings of 1.83 billion yen (approximately $13 million).
Making history: “The Boy and the Heron” is also set to make history at the Toronto International Film Festival in September as the first Japanese movie to open the event.
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