Anime fans in North America are no doubt excited about the next Miyazaki film’s release, and it seems they won’t have to wait long. That’s because Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron just announced its official North American premiere.
The prestigious Toronto International Film Festival recently announced that the next movie by the legendary anime director will have its official international premiere at the event that’s happening in just a bit over a month.
Thanks to this, it’s likely that the movie will get a wide release soon. Though fans shouldn’t expect the film to get any sort of promotion given the interesting marketing strategy by Ghibli and distributor GKIDS.
The Boy and the Heron to Release in North America With No Promotion
Just recently, GKIDS announced that it will distribute The Boy and the Heron (or How Do You Live? as it’s known in Japan) in North America.
Interestingly, GKIDS confirmed that there will be no new trailer or poster for the film in North America before its release.
This is an unprecedented move given that practically all movies released in theaters get a lot of promotion.
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most well-known anime directors though, so even with no promotion, cinema seats are likely going to be filled when it gets screened.
This is exactly what happened in Japan. Studio Ghibli decided that aside from one poster, the film will not get any marketing ahead of its release.
Despite how unusual the strategy is, it paid off as The Boy and the Heron became a huge box office hit in Japan where it earned the biggest opening in Studio Ghibli's history.
ALSO READ: The Best Studio Ghibli Watch Order
The Boy and the Heron to Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival
Before it gets a wide theatrical release in North America, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced that the next movie by Miyazaki will hold its international premiere at the event.
TIFF is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, so it’s no surprise to see Miyazaki’s next film get a special premiere there.
This is reminiscent of Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume which held its international premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February ahead of its April release in the US.
The Boy and the Heron will premiere at TIFF in Toronto from September 7 to 13, 2023.
Based on the gap between Suzume’s premiere and wide release, the next Miyazaki film may get its wide release in December.
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