My Neighbor Totoro rides the catbus gracefully onto cinema screens in China as box office hit

Proves that no one is immune to the cuteness of that adorable furball.

After 30 long years, Hayao Miyazaki’s iconic anime masterpiece My Neighbor Totoro has officially made it into China. The recent stunning poster certainly helped bolster interest in what was to be Studio Ghibli’s first film to infiltrate the Chinese market.

To say that it was a resounding success on its 14 December release last year is a total understatement, as the first three days saw the film grossing 13 million dollars in box office earnings. That number has since swelled to an impressive 26 million dollars in China as of 20 January 2019.

Putting things into perspective, My Neighbor Totoro has grossed a total of 32 million dollars in the worldwide stage since its release in 1998, 26 million — more than 80 percent — of which came from China’s earnings in the space of just one month.

▼ That is an incredible number!
Quite the reception for the beloved forest spirit.

中国版となりのトトロのポスターめちゃくちゃ可愛くないですか！？#となりのトトロ初公開 #中国 pic.twitter.com/4nJvoaxdoc

— まき はるか@水曜日『黒猫のシーツさん』連載中 (@00iiieee) December 18, 2018

More importantly, My Neighbor Totoro’s outstanding performance would pave the way for future Studio Ghibli theatrical releases in the country, potentially including famous classics like Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Japanese netizens were overjoyed that China finally got to enjoy watching Studio Ghibli’s fascinating anime on the big screen:

“The Chinese posters were so gorgeous.”
“Does this mean that it earned way more than when it was first released 30 years ago?”
“All of that money in just three days?”
“I think Chinese people would love Spirited Away.”

The furry forest spirit may not have grossed as high as Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name in China, but it is still an astounding feat for a 30-year old anime film that has enraptured countless people with its simple yet uplifting story. May the catbus run forevermore in everyone’s hearts!

Source: Yahoo! Japan, Box Office Mojo via Otakomu
Featured image: Twitter/@00iiieee

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