The One Piece films have all been box office successes during their theatrical runs, but the most recent one has outperformed them both financially and critically. One Piece Film: Red, released in 2022, came in at number four on the list of highest-grossing anime movies ever—beating the DCU feature Black Adam at the box office—and is behind huge anime titles, including Your Name at number three, Spirited Away at number two, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train, sitting firmly at the top spot. However, despite the Once Piece entry placing fourth just last year, Makoto Shinkai's Suzume has reached the peak of its success yet during its run in Japanese cinemas, trailing One Piece Film: Red down into fifth place.
While The Super Mario Bros. Movie—with an impressive opening weekend—has been the talk of the town recently, Suzume has managed to join the ranks of commercially successful anime titles, which we can assume will soar further once it hits international theaters on April 14. Suzume ranking at the fourth place in the list of highest-grossing anime films of all time was not surprising news, especially given how Makoto's recent works have been such a success during their respective theatrical runs.
How Did Suzume Beat a Movie From a Big Franchise?
The Japanese animator—who also helmed the third top-grossing animated film, Your Name—carries quite a legacy, with most of his films achieving favorable critical receptions, including Weathering with You, 5 Centimeters per Second, The Garden of Words, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and more. So with Suzume taking the fourth place, it just serves to highlight the talent Makoto and his team possess with a film that can justify its success due to its interesting premise. By all accounts, One Piece Film: Red has enjoyed the fourth place in just a few months, with Suzume quickly taking it. But, given that Suzume debuted in theaters with a completely different and unique story, it's easy to see how the Shinkai-directed film outperformed even a film from a massive franchise.
The anime film first graced the Japanese theaters on November 11, following the story of Suzume Iwato (Nanoka Hara), a 17-year-old high school girl, whose country's fate rests on her shoulders as she can see things that others cannot. Together with a mysterious man she met, Sōta Munakata (Hokuto Matsumura)—who is in search of a particular door—Suzume accidentally opened all doors, setting free all the calamities that will threaten Japan. Determined to save her country, she must plan ahead to close all the doors again before Japan suffers from the portal that was meant to be closed in the first place.
Suzume will soon hit international theaters on April 14. You can watch the trailer below.