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Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke IMAX re-release earned more per-theater than any other movie in the country in its first weekend

In one weekend, the GKIDS 4K remaster of Princess Mononoke has earned more than the initial theatrical run of the Studio Ghibli classic.

Princess Mononoke Studio Ghibli Screenshot — Image credit: Studio Ghibli

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Mon Mar 31 2025

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The recent re-release of Princess Mononoke has become a bona fide hit for Studio Ghibli and GKIDS nearly 30 years after the classic anime film was shown in theaters. Over the weekend, the 4K edition of the movie was shown in IMAX cinemas across the US, with the limited run making nearly double what any other movie pulled in per theater.

Princess Mononoke was only shown in around 330 theaters in the US and Canada over the weekend yet still managed to become the sixth highest-grossing movie in the country. On a per-theater basis, it made more than $10,000, which is almost twice as much as its closest competition in that regard. What is really remarkable about this figure is that the movie pulled in $3.5 million total from Wednesday to Sunday, which is more than the $2.7 million that the movie made during its initial US theatrical run in 1997.

Of course, we need to take into account that the movie was shown in IMAX, which has higher ticket prices and isn't available at every cinema across the country, and it enjoys a (well-earned) reputation as one of Studio Ghibli’s finest movies of all time, which makes it a big pull for existing fans. Considering it was made by such a small team who all got stuck in together to make it happen, it remains a remarkable achievement in animation. Despite its age, Princess Mononoke still feels strikingly fresh and relevant to the world we live in.

If you haven’t seen Princess Mononoke in IMAX yet, you still have a few days. The current run is expected to run through Wednesday, April 2.

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included...