'Your Name.' soars to 2nd all time in domestic box office take

Conjuring up more magic at the domestic box office, the teenage body-switching anime “Your Name.” has become the second-highest grossing Japanese film ever, passing Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” and trailing only “Spirited Away.”

Makoto Shinkai's fantasy romance anime in Japan reached 19.95 billion yen ($175 million) at the box office as of Dec. 4, 101 days after its domestic release, film distributor Toho Co. announced on Dec. 5.

The box office receipts of “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) in Japan totaled 19.6 billion yen.

Photo: All the Anime

Among domestic and international films released in Japan, "Your Name." sits at No. 5, trailing Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” (30.8 billion yen), James Cameron’s “Titanic” (1997) (26.2 billion yen), Disney’s “Frozen” (2013) (25.48 billion yen), and “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001) (20.3 billion yen), according to the Kogyo Tsushinsha movie statistic research company.

“Your Name.” opened in China on Dec. 2, and has already set a new record for a Japanese film there, earning 280 million yuan (4.2 billion yen) in just first three days, according to Toho.

On Dec. 4, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) presented its Best Animation award to "Your Name." at the 42nd Annual LAFCA Awards. The awards are considered a run-up to the Oscars.

“Spirited Away” and Isao Takahata’s “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” (2013) won the same LAFCA award in the past, and expectations are running high for “Your Name.” in upcoming international film competitions.

(The Asahi Shimbun)