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In This Corner of the World Anime Film Sells 2 Million Tickets in Japan
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Sunao Katabuchi's In This Corner of the World anime film has sold more than 2 million tickets at theaters in Japan as of Thursday. The film opened at 63 theaters in Japan in November, and the film's staff expanded its release to more than 300 theaters due to audience support.
Katabuchi (Black Lagoon, Mai Mai Miracle) wrote and directed the film, which is produced by GENCO and animation studio MAPPA. The anime has earned more than 2.5 billion yen (about US$22.5 million) at theaters in Japan. The film had earned more than 2 billion yen (US$17.58 million) at theaters as of February. The film went on to win the Fujimoto Award, the Daijin (Minister) Prize from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Hiroshima Peace Film Award at the Hiroshima International Film Festival, Kinema Jumpo magazine's best Japanese movie of the year, and the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
The anime's Japanese Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases will include English subtitles. The film will ship on home video in Japan on September 15.
In addition to Japan, the film will screen in 23 countries and territories. The film is screening at The Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the LA Film Festival this month. The anime will open in the United Kingdom on June 28. The film will also screen at Anime Expo, and Katabuchi will attend for a Q&A session after the screening on July 2.
Shout! Factory and Funimation Films will begin screening the film in the United States on August 11. Screenings will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and with Animatsu Entertainment's English dub. Shout! Factory has licensed the U.S. and Canadian theatrical, video on demand, digital, broadcast, and home video rights from Animatsu Entertainment, which holds the global rights for the film.
Shout! Factory describes the film:
The award-winning story of IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD follows a young lady named Suzu Urano, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband's family. Suzu's life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country. This beautiful yet poignant tale shows that even in the face of adversity and loss, people can come together and rebuild their lives.
The film is based on Fumiyo Kōno's To All The Corners Of The World (Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) manga. The manga series won an Excellence Prize in the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival. Seven Seas will release the manga in North America in the fall.
Source: Cinema Today
