Popular Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film “The Boy and the Heron” topped the box office in North America last weekend, according to estimates released Sunday by specialty firm Exhibitor Relations.

With $12.8 million over the weekend, “The Boy and the Heron” became the highest-grossing Studio Ghibli film in its first week in theaters, explained “Experience Relations.” Ghibli is an anime studio founded in 1985 by one of Japan’s greatest anime producers, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and the films it produces garner great acclaim and popularity among people of all ages.

The story of the film revolves around the life of Mahito, an eleven-year-old boy who moves from Tokyo to the countryside with his father after his mother dies in a fire. There, he meets an egret (called a heron) who becomes his guide, accompanying him on a journey to discover the secrets of life that are a distinctive feature of Miyazaki’s stories.

Ranking of remaining top ten films

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” topped the charts for a fourth straight week, holding onto second place as it took in $9.4 million between Friday and Sunday.

“Godzilla Minus One,” directed by Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho Studios, took third place with $8.3 million in its second week, followed by “Trolls 3” in fifth place with $6.2 million. “Wish.” Disney-produced Wish grossed $5.3 million.

The rest of the works ranked in the top ten films at the box office in theaters in North America are:

“Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce” ($5 million), “Napoleon” ($4.2 million), “Waitress” ($3.2 million), “Animal” ($2.3 million). Million Dollar Movie, “The Shift” Change($2.1 million).

(AFP)