Kiki's Delivery Service box office: 1989 Japan and later releases
The 1989 Japanese run and the later overseas and re-release runs are different measures. This guide keeps them apart.
Published: 2026-10-13. Updated: 2026-10-13.
Short answer: In Japan in 1989, Kiki's Delivery Service ended with distribution revenue of 2.17 billion yen and 2,640,619 admissions, according to President Online. That is distribution revenue, the distributor's share, not the gross ticket sales used in modern box office reports. Box Office Mojo separately lists later re-release and overseas takings in US dollars, including a 2026 re-release at $6,633,379 worldwide.
What did the 1989 Japanese release earn?
President Online states that the film ended with distribution revenue of 2.17 billion yen and 2,640,619 admissions. The film opened in Japan on July 29, 1989.
Distribution revenue (haikyu shunyu) is the share of ticket sales that the distributor receives, which is lower than the gross ticket sales that Japanese box office reports use today. A 1989 distribution revenue figure cannot be compared directly with a modern gross in yen or dollars. We have not converted it.
What have the re-releases earned?
Box Office Mojo splits the film into release groups, in US dollars. For a 2026 re-release (March 13 to August 28, 2026) it lists $2,697,212 domestic and $3,936,167 international, $6,633,379 worldwide. Its 2013 re-release group lists $4,877,850 international, and a 2019 US re-release lists $1,004,057 domestic.
Different measures and currencies; do not add the rows together. Box Office Mojo release-group pages are as seen in October 2026.| Release | Figure | What it measures |
|---|
| Japan, 1989 | 2.17B yen; 2,640,619 admissions | Distribution revenue, final |
| 2026 re-release (Box Office Mojo) | $6,633,379 | Worldwide, USD, 6 markets |
| 2013 re-release (Box Office Mojo) | $4,877,850 | International, USD |
| 2019 US re-release (Box Office Mojo) | $1,004,057 | Domestic, USD |
Is there a lifetime total?
Box Office Mojo shows an all-releases worldwide total of $18,392,930 on its page. That adds many re-releases in US dollars and, as far as we could see on the page, does not include the 1989 Japanese run. It is not a lifetime gross for the film, and the page layout makes some rows unclear.
Where public evidence stops: We did not find a single official lifetime gross, and we found no yen gross figure for the 1989 run or for Japanese re-releases. Other sites publish larger worldwide totals without clear sourcing, so we have not used them. Note that The Numbers has no usable Japan data for this film.
What do these figures not show?
None of these figures show Studio Ghibli's or Toei's profit. Re-release grosses are ticket sales in each market, and the 1989 figure is a distributor's share, so none of them describe what the film earned for its rights holders.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Kiki's Delivery Service make in 1989?
President Online gives 2.17 billion yen in distribution revenue and 2,640,619 admissions for the original Japanese run. That is not gross ticket sales.
What did the 2026 re-release earn?
Box Office Mojo lists $6,633,379 worldwide for the March to August 2026 re-release, of which $2,697,212 is domestic.
What is the total box office of Kiki's Delivery Service?
There is no sourced lifetime total. Box Office Mojo lists $18,392,930 across its releases in US dollars, which does not include the 1989 Japanese result as far as we could see.
Can I compare the 1989 and 2026 figures?
Not directly. One is a Japanese distributor's revenue in yen from 1989, the other is gross takings in US dollars from later releases.