Japanese animation 'Suzume' is best-selling Japanese film in Korea of all time

Main poster for Japanese animation film ″Suzume″ [MEDIA CASTLE]

Japanese animation “Suzume” broke box-office records in Korea, reaching 4.48 million in ticket sales as of Saturday. It is now the best-selling Japanese film in Korea of all time.

“Suzume,” which was released on March 8, surpassed the previous record set by “The First Slam Dunk.”

“The First Slam Dunk,” which opened on Jan. 4, recorded 4.46 million in ticket sales.

From Japanese director Makoto Shinkai, whose previous films “Your Name” (2016) and “Weathering With You” (2019) also broke then-box office records upon release, “Suzume” tells the story of a schoolgirl named Suzume who goes on an adventure to stop natural disasters happening across Japan.

“Suzume” topped box offices in Korea for 35 days after its release. The speed with which the animation film broke records was also exceptionally fast, with it surpassing one million ticket sales in just six days, followed by two million in 13 days and three million in 20 days.

The visual beauty and cinematography of “Suzume,” director Shinkai’s signature style and the original soundtrack along with emotional stimulation from the story are seen as factors behind the animation’s success.

Shinkai, who visited Korea early last month, will make another visit between April 27 to 30 in thank Korean audiences for the love they have shown for “Suzume,” according to local reports.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]