NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Whenever the calendar comes out, Amanda Mendoza VanCleave circles the dates.
, the long-running theatrical revivals of Ghibli movies, has taken on a special meaning for her, her 3-year-old daughter and her mother, Araceli. Every year, they go to see each Ghibli rerelease in theaters.
鈥淩ight when she sees the opening Totoro logo, she screams 鈥楾otoro!鈥欌�� VanCleave, 34, says of her daughter. 鈥淓veryone in the theater started laughing, and I was like, 鈥極h, gosh, sorry.鈥欌��
Though the family discovered the Ghibli movies on HBO Max, the outings to their favorite theater in Austin, Texas, became a tradition. Earlier this month, when they went (again) to see 1988 anime classic, 鈥淢y Neighbor Totoro,鈥� they wore matching Totoro jammies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been our thing,鈥� says VanCleave. 鈥淯s three girls together.鈥�
The passionate fandom Ghibli tends to inspire is well-documented. Yet the consistency of the Japanese animation studio鈥檚 films in theaters 鈥� years, even decades after their release 鈥� is without parallel in movies. Every year, longtime Ghibli fans as well as new, little ones, flock to cinemas.
Sporadically dated from June through October, Ghibli Fest has been running for a decade. Movies like 鈥淢y Neighbor Totoro,鈥� 鈥淪pirited Away鈥� and 鈥淧onyo鈥� have become not occasional rereleases but practically theatrical mainstays. Ghibli Fest is more like an ongoing movie marathon: cinema’s answer to Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour.
And, remarkably, it keeps growing. When GKids, the North American distributor for Ghibli, and Fathom Entertainment launched Ghibli Fest in 2017, its five titles accounted for $5 million in ticket sales. But the festival鈥檚 biggest box-office years have been the last three 鈥� all after Ghibli titles became easy to stream on HBO Max in 2020.
鈥淚鈥檇 be lying if I thought the program when we conceived it would be going as long as it has,鈥� says Dave Jesteadt, GKids president. 鈥淚t does defy conventional wisdom. We keep waiting for the year that people tire of going to the films, but that鈥檚 not what鈥檚 happening. Every single year, we see records being set. The grosses are going up, not down.鈥�
Ghibli expands its footprint
The biggest year for Ghibli Fest was 2024, when 14 movies accounted for $16.4 million in sales. Last year, eight movies grossed $10.6 million. This year, both 鈥淧onyo鈥� and 鈥淢y Neighbor Totoro鈥� have already played for popular five-day stints.
Shannah Miller, vice president of marketing for Fathom, a company owned by the country’s top theater chains, has watched demand keep expanding.
鈥淲hen we started, I think our theatrical footprint was about 640 locations,鈥� Miller says. 鈥淭his year, we鈥檙e crossing over 1,100 locations. We started with two, maybe three playdates for a particular title, but due to fan demand, we have five-day runs for some titles.鈥�
When GKids first got Ghibli library in 2011, the Japanese studio emphasized how important theatrical was to them. First GKids hosted retrospectives, mostly in major markets and at arthouses. But Ghibli Fest moved the movies into multiplexes where a new generation of kids might stop before a cardboard cutout of Kiki (from 鈥淜iki鈥檚 Delivery Service鈥�) or No Face (from 鈥淪pirited Away鈥�) and wonder if there might be animated movie worlds beyond Disney.
鈥淥ne of the worst things that can happen to classics is that they鈥檙e perceived as classics and kept in amber,鈥� says Jesteadt. 鈥淲e wanted to move to a nationwide celebration that really treated these as equivalent to any new Hollywood film.鈥�
While North America moviegoing is up more than 10% this year, theaters have learned over the last decade that they can鈥檛 always depend on a steady stream of new Hollywood releases. There tend to be soft spots in the schedule, and early weekdays are always slow, anyhow.
Older movies have, increasingly, filled in the gaps. Ghibli Fest, though, predates more And the long-term effects have paid dividends, helping foster new Ghibli lovers. While an earlier generation might have been introduced first through Miyazaki鈥檚 2001 masterpiece 鈥淪pirited Away,鈥� GKids now sees younger moviegoers indoctrinated by 鈥淧onyo鈥� or 鈥淗owl鈥檚 Moving Castle.鈥�
鈥淲hen we introduced the catalog to streaming in 2020 for the first time, we thought, 鈥極K, surely, this is maybe the moment,鈥欌�� says Jesteadt. 鈥淏ut if anything, that just brought in a new audience that wanted to see these films in theaters for the first time.鈥�
鈥楳ore fun than HBO Max鈥�
This year鈥檚 fest continues with 鈥淭ales of Earthsea鈥� (Aug. 8, 10), 鈥淥nly Yesterday鈥� (Aug. 9, 11), the 40th anniversary of the first Ghibli release, 1986鈥檚 鈥淐astle in the Sky鈥� (Aug. 22-26), a 4K remastered 鈥淧rincess Mononoke鈥� (Sept. 26-30) and finally a 25th anniversary for 鈥淪pirited Away鈥� (Oct. 17-21).
While some of these movies are revived in other countries, Ghibli Fest is so far a strictly U.S.-based phenomenon.
鈥淲e are equally in awe of and proud of what we鈥檙e building and the opportunity to celebrate instead of all the doom and gloom, 鈥業s theater dead?鈥� conversations,鈥� Miller says. 鈥淲e have a different story to tell with Studio Ghibli.鈥�
Studio Ghibli is such a cultural powerhouse that there are countless opportunities to reconnect with its stories. The Academy Museum is hosting . The composer Joe Hisaishi is touring the music of many of the films, including a seven-night residency at New York鈥檚 Radio City Music Hall in August.
But the movies, themselves, on the big screen, are the eternal flames of Ghibli. The screenings are places for Ghibli fans, new and old, to congregate and immerse themselves in the natural splendor of the films.
Angela Lector, 27, has attended 鈥淗owl鈥檚 Moving Castle鈥� dressed as its hero, Sophie, and met Japanese film students at a showing of 鈥淧rincess Mononoke,鈥� a favorite from when she was a kid.
鈥淏eing in the theater is so much more fun than being on HBO Max,鈥� says Lector. 鈥淏eing in your home, you can make your own popcorn and cuddle up with your dog. But being in the theater you can actually talk to people you don鈥檛 know about the movie.鈥�
Ghibli fans鈥� only gripes are usually that the festival doesn鈥檛 feature more deep cuts from the library. Lector would love to see 1984鈥檚鈥� pre-Ghibli 鈥淣ausica盲 of the Valley of the Wind鈥� brought back.
鈥淭he Ghibli films are timeless. There鈥檚 something for everyone in them,鈥� Lector says. 鈥淓verything feels human. No one is too powerful or too small.鈥�
That can go for audience members, too. VanCleave recently noticed a classmate of her daughter鈥檚 wearing a bow like Kiki’s.
鈥淚 saw her mom and asked about it. 鈥� she also had watched Ghibli movies at home,鈥� VanCleave says. 鈥淪o, we invited her to 鈥楶onyo,鈥� and it was her first movie theater experience. It was cute. The two 3-year-olds shared a recliner.鈥�
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