Makoto Shinkai is ready to set another record, as his latest creation "Weathering with You" will hit the North American theaters starting January 17, 2020.

The hit anime series recorded global gross sales of over USD 120 million, making it one of the most anticipated anime movies in the U.S.

Weathering with You's new official subtitled trailer has been released through the efforts of GKIDS, an award-winning film distributor in New York.

The film was welcomed to movie houses with about US$12.22 million sales in the first three days, making it the highest-grossing film in Japan this 2019 and one of the highest-earning film of all time in the country.

It took a big leap over the recent 10-billion yen earner, "Your Name," which was also made by Shinkai. "Your Name" has bagged the title of being the second highest-grossing anime film in Japan after Spirited Away, and it soon will be up for an American remake.

Shinkai's latest film is expected to garner the same achievements after being selected as Japan's official entry to next year's Oscars. It is set to compete in the Best International Film/Feature category in the prestigious event.

Before the news, "Weathering with You" was premiered at Toronto International Film Festival. It was then chosen as Japan's official submission for Best International Feature, setting another record to be the first anime film to be nominated since Princess Mononoke by Ghibi Studios in 1998.

In an interview with Polygon during the TIFF, Shinkai said that he only wanted to explore two themes and mentioned about climate change. He pointed out that the issue has been tied with people's lives every day, and incorporating it into "Weathering with You" was something he took a point of by creating the main characters with the wishes of what's best for everyone.

Shinkai stated that the film is dedicated to young people in Japan, and that he was able to finish it with the help of RADWIMPS, the rock band who also made the album for "Your Name."

Other than RADWIMPS, Shinkai also asked for the participation of Nizo Yamamoto and Hidetsugu Ito. the former drew the paintings that will be seen during a temple visit in the film, while the latter was responsible for the creations of the raindrops that completed it.

The team's efforts helped the director to produce his "trademark." In three months, this will finally be seen by U.S. fans of Shinkai with the hope of bringing home the victory in the next Academy Awards.

The film is about a teenager named Hodaka, who runs away from his home island to Tokyo. He is welcomed with a never-ending rain in the city and ends up meeting the girl who can change the weather and clear the skies, Hina. The film was completed with aesthetically pleasing and meteorologically-inclined settings as the backdrops.

The makers of "Weathering with You" have recently opened a café inspired by the film in Tokyo and Osaka. It will be serving patrons until November 17 of this year.

Tags
Anime