Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume Anime Film Has Sold Over 2 Million Tickets Outside Japan

While English-speaking fans of Makoto Shinkai have to wait a few more weeks to catch Suzume in theaters, part of the international rollout of the film has begun and as of March 17 has already surpassed two million tickets sold in Asia alone ahead of its English-speaking release.

The international rollout started on March 2 in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, with it launching in Indonesia, Philippines and South Korea on March 8, Malaysia and Singapore on March 9, Vietnam on March 10 and finally will launch in China on March 24. According to the official Twitter account for the film, Suzume has opened to number one in every territory so far with over 2 million people have seen the film.

＼#すずめの戸締まり 世界を席巻／
公開全地域で
公開日デイリーランキング1位達成！
海外累計動員数200万人突破！
計199の国と地域で随時公開！

????香港
????マカオ
????台湾
????インドネシア
????フィリピン
????マレーシア
????シンガポール
????韓国
????ベトナム
※公開順#すずめ世界に行ってきます
※再投稿 pic.twitter.com/0n5dacy32I

— 映画『すずめの戸締まり』公式 (@suzume_tojimari) March 17, 2023

But, that’s not the only record for Suzume internationally. With its Chinese release looming, Makoto Shinkai himself has confirmed that as of March 19 is at 17 million yuan (US$2.46 million) in pre-sales, the most for any animated film in China so far. 

中国で今まで公開されたすべてのアニメーションのプレセールスで、すずめが史上最高記録とのこと。夕食を食べている間にも、すでに1700万元となっています。感謝の言葉もありません。 https://t.co/i8NUgUJrRy

— 新海誠 (@shinkaimakoto) March 18, 2023

RELATED: Suzume Anime Film Passes 14 Billion Yen as It Travels Up Japan’s All Time Box Office

Suzume is directed by Makoto Shinkai, who also penned the screenplay for the film alongside Masayoshi Tanaka as the character designer, Kenichi Tsuchiya as the animation director and Takumi Tanji as the art director with animation production at CoMix Wave Films. 

Suzume was released in Japan on November 11 with Crunchyroll teaming up with Sony Pictures and Wild Bunch International to bring the feature to global audiences outside of Asia starting April 12, 2023.

Synopsis:

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety—

“Suzume no Tojimari” is a coming-of-age story for the 17-year-old protagonist, Suzume, set in various disaster-stricken locations across Japan, where she must close the doors causing devastation. 

Suzume’s journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu (located in southwestern Japan) when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I’m looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly drawn by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob… Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

—The stars, then sunset, and the morning sky.

Within that realm, it was as though all time had melted together in the sky…

Never-before-seen scenery, encounters and farewells… A myriad of challenges await her on her journey. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Suzume’s adventure shines a ray of hope upon our own struggles against the toughest roads of anxiety and constraints that make up everyday life. This story of closing doors that connect our past to the present and future will leave a lasting impression upon all of our hearts. 

Drawn in by these mysterious doors, Suzume’s journey is about to begin. 

Source: Mantan Web

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Daryl Harding is a Senior Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.