Anime is a genre that is clearly on the rise. There are more and more fans of series and movies of the genre, and the greatest example of this is the previous success that is having the live action of One Piece, the adaptation of the work of Eiichiro Oda that Netflix will premiere on its platform at the end of next August.
In terms of cinema, beyond the classic manga-based brands, films of a different kind, such as Studio Ghibli’s films, also work perfectly. But which are the best-performing films of all time? Here we leave you with the anime that have had the most relevance at the box office worldwide.
10 – Time with You (Tenki no Ko, Makoto Shinkai, 2019) – $193 million.
We warn from now on that Makoto Shinkai is going to be a regular on this list. The Time With You, from 2019, is his penultimate film, and the first after his smash hit Your Name. In this film, the director portrays how a high school boy who has moved to Tokyo befriends a girl with the mysterious power to manipulate and control the weather at will. A story so emotional that it brings tears to your eyes almost without meaning to.
Available for rental or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Rakuten TV.
09 – Jujutsu Kaisen 0: the movie (Gekijō-ban Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Park Sung-hoo, 2021) $193.3 million
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the trendiest anime, and the best example of this is that the first major video game about this series has just been announced. But the movie about the anime came a little earlier, in 2021, and managed to place in the top ten at the box office surpassing even the last great jewel of Makoto Shinkai. Undoubtedly, its fans responded correctly to its call.
It is currently not available on any platform.
08 – Ponyo on the cliff (Gake no ue no Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki, 2008) – 204.8 million dollars
Hayao Miyazaki will be the other great director repeated in this list, and no wonder. The Japanese director was the first, thanks to Studio Ghibli, to go beyond the borders of Japan and make it clear that his cinema was universal. And Ponyo on the Cliff, despite arriving at a somewhat lower moment for the studio, made it clear that the filmmaker’s quality was still intact.
The film focuses on Sosuke, a 5-year-old boy, and his relationship with a fish princess who longs to become a human being. It is a loose adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which despite having nothing to do with the Disney classic manages to tell the story in its own way.
Available on Netflix.
07 – The Walking Castle (Howl no Ugoku Shiro, Hayao Miyazaki, 2004) – US$237.5 million
Another obvious Hayao Miyazaki hit is The Walking Castle, a 2004 film with which, shortly after proving to the world that he could conquer even the Oscars with Spirited Away, Miyazaki burst back into the limelight with a beautiful story.
The story is about Sophie, an 18-year-old girl who works tirelessly in her late father’s hat store. On one of her infrequent walks through the city, Sophie meets the magician Howl, a young man with extraordinary powers who will open the doors of magic for her.
Available on Netflix.
06 – One Piece Film Red (Goro Taniguchi, 2022) – $2466 million
There is no doubt that One Piece is in one of its best moments since its creation more than 25 years ago. With the Netflix live action just around the corner, its latest theatrical release achieved a milestone for the series itself: placing among the top 10 highest-grossing anime films in history.
One Piece Film: Red focuses on Uta, the world’s most popular singer, who is about to perform on stage and reveal her appearance for the first time. Luffy and his friends attend the concert and realize that Uta’s voice is capable of changing everything… and what they discover is incredible.
Available on Movistar Plus.
05 – The First Slam Dunk (Takehiko Inoue, 2023) – 258.6 million
As we told you a few days ago for its release in Spain, millions of people have grown up with the adventures of Slam Dunk, and the success of his new movie is the obvious proof that everyone wanted to know what became of the basketball team of their lives.
The First Slam Dunk follows the team’s story after what happened in the anime, including new players, challenges and an emotional story that reconnects the audience with the original series.
It is currently not available on any platform.
04 – Suzume (Suzume no Tojimari, Makoto Shinkai, 2023) – 3225 million dollars
Makoto Shinkai’s last great film has managed to reach the top of the most watched in the history of anime. Suzuma arrived last year, but it has only been in the last few months that it has been distributed globally and has managed to break almost all box office records in the country.
In the film, 17-year-old Suzume discovers a mysterious door in the mountains, and soon other doors begin to appear all over Japan. When the doors open, they unleash disaster and destruction, and it’s up to Suzume to close them again.
It is currently not available on any platform.
03 – Your Name (Kimi no Na wa, Makoto Shinkai, 2016) – 3822 million dollars
But there is no doubt that Makoto Shinkai achieved his greatest success with Your Name, an everlasting triumph that conquered the hearts of millions of people around the world and will always be in the hearts of anime fans. Your Name was an unusual phenomenon at the time, and rarely has a similar film achieved such a triumph.
The film focuses on two characters: young Taki, who lives in Tokyo; and young Mitsuha, who lives in a small village in the mountains. When they go to sleep, their bodies are exchanged. So, confined in a body that is strange to them, they begin to communicate with each other. What they don’t know is that they have a common goal that will make them closer than ever.
It is currently not available on any platform.
02 – Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) – $3956 million
For decades, it has been the most watched Japanese film in history, and with good reason. Spirited Away was a milestone in 2001 and opened the doors to a 21st century in which Miyazaki made it clear that anime was a genre to be reckoned with. With a beautiful story and dozens of visual metaphors for life, it became an incredible success that Studio Ghibli didn’t even seem prepared for.
The story of Spirited Away centers on a ten-year-old girl, capricious and stubborn, who believes that the entire universe must submit to her desires. When she is transported to a universe where nothing is as it seems, she must evolve in order to escape.
Available on Netflix.
01 – Guardians of the Night: Infinite Train (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen, Haruo Sotozaki, 2020) – $5071 million
In the middle of 2020, with COVID lurking and culture at a critical moment, an anime managed to break all the records set so far and become an unprecedented mass success: Guardians of the Night. Infinity Train is the first film about the saga, and also the highest-grossing film in the history of anime.
Guardians of the Night: Infinite Train explains how Tanjiro Kamado and his group investigate a mysterious series of disappearances that occur inside a seemingly infinitely long train. Everything gets complicated when they discover that Enmu, the last of the Lower Moons of the Twelve Kizuki, is also on board and has set a trap for them.
Available on Amazon Prime Video.
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