Princess Mononoke grossed ¥19.3 billion in Japan after opening July 12, 1997, and $2,375,308 in its 1999 U.S. run. Later reissues raised Japan's cumulative total to ¥20.18 billion and the worldwide lifetime total to $159,414,369. It is a Japanese animated film released in Japan by Toho and in the United States by Miramax.
Oricon News reports the Japanese opening drew 14.2 million admissions in its 1997 box-office report, while Box Office Mojo lists the limited U.S. run in its 1999 domestic data. Japan's yen figure and U.S. dollar figures should be read separately.
Table of Contents
- Japan's 1997 release
- How did the 1999 U.S. release perform?
- What did the reissues add?
- How should readers compare the totals?
Japan's 1997 release
Toho opened the film in Japan on July 12, 1997. SciFi Japan and Oricon News place admissions at 14.2 million. Gross receipts reached ¥19.3 billion.
That result made it Japan's highest-grossing film at the time. It held the record until Titanic passed it. The opening established it as a domestic event, not a slow-building hit.
How did the 1999 U.S. release perform?
Miramax released the film in the United States on Oct. 29, 1999. Box Office Mojo records a domestic gross of $2,375,308.
The release peaked at 129 theaters. The scale was limited compared with the Japanese release. It played as a specialty arthouse title. Its theater count stayed small through the run.
What did the reissues add?
A 2020 Japanese re-release lifted the cumulative domestic total to ¥20.18 billion. Kogyo Tsushinsha, reported by Oricon Group, places cumulative admissions at 15 million. The increase came more than two decades after the premiere. GKIDS then released a 4K restoration in North American IMAX from March 26, 2025. Anime News Network ties the 330-theater IMAX run to Studio Ghibli's 40th anniversary in its opening-weekend report. The engagement was exclusive to IMAX in North America. The March 28-30, 2025 weekend earned about $4,004,482.
Anime News Network, citing Box Office Mojo, ranks it No. 6 domestically for the weekend. That one weekend exceeded the entire $2.37 million 1999 U.S. run. On a per-theater basis, the reissue averaged over $10,600. Cartoon Brew called it No. 1 in North America that weekend on that measure in its per-theater analysis. The pattern points to concentrated demand for premium-format screenings.
How should readers compare the totals?
Box Office Mojo's release-group page reports a $159,414,369 worldwide lifetime gross. That figure combines Japan, overseas earnings and reissues. It is useful as a combined lifetime marker. Yen-to-dollar conversions vary by year and tracker.
Readers should therefore keep Japan's yen total apart from U.S. dollar totals. SoraNews24 makes the same caution when reporting Toho data in its Your Name comparison. A single worldwide dollar figure is not final.
- Japan, 1997 original: ¥19.3 billion, 14.2 million admissions
- Japan, cumulative with 2020 reissue: ¥20.18 billion, 15 million admissions
- United States, 1999 original: $2,375,308, maximum 129 theaters
- North America, March 28-30, 2025 IMAX: about $4,004,482, No. 6 weekend