Suzume is one of the most successful anime movies of all time

Suzume, the latest movie from director Makoto Shinkai, is purring at the box office – making it one of the most successful anime movies of all time.

As per Box Office Report, the anime feature took over $5 million at the US box office in its first few days, nudging its taking towards $260 million worldwide. It’s now the fourth highest-grossing anime movie of all time, pulling clear of One Piece: Red ($246 million).

There could be some way to go, however, for the fantasy adventure to topple the director’s biggest hit Your Name ($382 million), Studio Ghibli’s 2001 masterpiece Spirited Away ($395 million), and surprise COVID-era runaway success Demon Slayer: Mugen Train ($507 million).

Speaking on the tragic real-world event – the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami – that influenced his latest work, Shinkai addressed the impact of the incident that "changed [his] life."

"It changed my mindset and my worldview, and the types of movies I created afterwards," Shinkai said.

"That anxiety and uncertainty also of living in Japan, side by side with disaster that could happen at any moment, I constantly think about why I, and we, all continue to choose to live in Japan. And this has been a huge theme for myself over the past 10 years that I have been thinking about."

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.