Studio Ghibli Fest: a decade in, box office keeps climbing

DETROIT. Studio Ghibli Fest is in its tenth year, and it keeps growing. The festival started in 2017 with five titles that sold $5 million worth of tickets nationwide. In 2024, its biggest year, 14 films brought in $16.4 million, and last year eight films grossed $10.6 million. The festival now plays more than 1,100 theaters across North America, up from about 640 when it launched.

The films, including "My Neighbor Totoro," "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo," have been streaming on HBO Max since 2020, but theatrical demand hasn't slowed. Individual titles used to run two or three dates; this year "Totoro" and "Ponyo" both got five day runs. GKids president Dave Jesteadt says, "Every single year, we see records being set. The grosses are going up, not down."