When does The Boy and The Heron come out?

Ever since The Boy and The Heron was first announced, it has continued to remain a hot topic for discussion. As more and more time passes since the Japanese release of the movie, one question continues to pop up in the minds of international fans, ‘When does The Boy and The Heron come out?’

There is some good news and at the same time a lack of updates regarding the international release of The Boy and The Heron. Here’s everything put together in one place for you. 

When does The Boy and The Heron come out?

The Boy and The Heron came out in Japan on July 18, 2023. As for the worldwide release, here’s everything we know so far:

• GKIDS has acquired the North American rights to the movies. The Boy and The Heron will come out on December 8th, 2023 in the United States and Canada. 
• The movie is scheduled for a December 26th theatrical release in the UK. Before that, there’ll be special screenings on October 8th and October 15th at the Royal Festival Hall. 

In the absence of any concrete information, we can expect an early to mid-2024 release for the other regions internationally. While we wait for the updates regarding the international release, why don’t you check out our newsletter? It comes out twice every week and features all things anime!

The Promotional Strategy in Japan vs. The West

The creators of the film came up with an unconventional strategy to keep the contents of the movie under wraps. The producer of the movie Toshio Suzuki decided to not release any information regarding the plot or the cast beforehand. There were rumors about The Boy and The Heron being Hayao Miyazaki’s final movie. These rumors also helped pique the interest of many fans.

In the end, they were nothing but rumors as Miyazaki already seemed to be working on his next project. Unlike the minimalist promotional strategy in its home country, a teaser trailer was released before its US release. The trailer reveals the setting of the movie along with some characters. Maybe releasing a trailer was the right choice. There’s a possibility that the sailing wouldn’t have been as smooth for the movie outside of its home country. 

The Boy and The Heron reception so far

The movie entered the theatres with only the title and the poster as its backing. Despite the lack of any information beforehand, the movie has done commercially well.

The fans are eagerly waiting for the theatrical release in their respective countries. Opening at 1.83 Billion Yen, The Boy and The Heron surpassed Howl’s Moving Castle to become the biggest opening by Studio Ghibli. It also became the first animated film to open the Toronto International Film Festival. 

Conclusion

With primarily a positive reaction, the only bummer seems to be the lack of updates about the international release. However the same can’t be said for the fans in the UK and the US. The Boy and The Heron will grace the theatres later this year. Regarding the updates in the other regions, we’ll keep you updated on that front.