Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is No. 1 at the box office, a first for the Japanese anime master

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s is No. 1 at the North American box office for the first time in his decades-spanning career. According to studio estimates Miyazaki’s latest enchanting film “The Boy and the Heron” debuted with $12.8 million. The long-awaited animated fantasy from the director of “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and other cherished anime classics, is only the third anime to top the box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters and the first original anime to do so. Another Japanese film — “Godzilla Minus One” — also charted high, with $8.3 million. Last week’s top film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” dropped steeply in its second weekend with $5 million.