'Your Name' Overtakes 'Spirited Away,' Becoming the Highest Grossing Anime Film of All Time

It took 16 years to accomplish and I am certain director Makoto Shinkai will be celebrating for years to come. The phenomenal Kimi no Na wa (also known as #YourName) has been breaking records left and right in the anime world and has officially managed to achieve the greatest success of all. Following its international release, Your Name has officially become the highest grossing anime film of all time, beating out the international gross of the Studio Ghibli/Hayao #Miyazaki classic, Spirited Away.

The Box Office Numbers So Far

Your Name has grossed over $331,000,000 USD at the international box office, beating out #SpiritedAway, which ended its international run at $289,000,000 USD. Among its many achievements, it is the first anime not directed by Miyazaki to earn more than $100 million (￥10 billion) at the Japanese box office.

This achievement is specifically for the international numbers, as Spirited Away still holds the top spot for the highest grossing film in Japan, grossing ¥30.40 Billion compared to Your Name's ¥23.23 Billion. Your Name is currently the fourth highest grossing film of all time in Japan behind Frozen, Titanic and Spirited Away.

Your Name follows two strangers, Mitsuha and Taki, who experience a body-swap and their actions begin to have a dramatic impact on each other's lives, weaving them into a fabric held together by fate and circumstance.

Check Out The Trailer For Your Name Below:

The Next Miyazaki?

Following the news that Your Name became the first non-Miyazaki anime film to pass ￥10 billion, many tagged director Makoto Shinkai to be "the next Miyazaki." When asked about this label in an interview with THR, Shinkai mentions that his films serve as a more personal take on these anime stories and that there is no one "who can make films like [Miyazaki]." He describes the influence and change Miyazaki's films brought to the forefront:

"[If] I thought I had the same kind of filmmaking skills as Miyazaki-san, then that would be problematic, but I don't [think] there is anyone who can make films like him. There is also the factor of eras: When he began making anime, it was during the time of rapid economic growth in Japan, and I think he felt his films had the power to change the world. I don't have that desire, nor do I feel my films can make society better."

Shinkai also describes what he ultimately hopes to achieve with his films:

"For me, it's more personal — if someone who sees my film, who I have never met, is moved by it, that is great, but I don't think that will lead to societal change, nor do I aim for that. So we don't fulfill the same roles."

Are you a big fan of Japanese anime and have you checked out 'Your Name'?

(Sources: THR)