Princess Mononoke box office: Japan, US, and worldwide
Miyazaki's 1997 epic was a landmark in Japan and a slow-burn theatrical release in the US. The numbers show how differently the film performed in each market.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Princess Mononoke is the second-highest-grossing Studio Ghibli film in Japan at ¥20.2 billion, including revival screenings, according to Nippon.com. Box Office Mojo records a lifetime worldwide theatrical gross of $34,602,048, with $15,397,083 from Japan and $11,696,687 from North America. The North American total is cumulative across the original 1999 Miramax release and multiple GKIDS/Studio Ghibli Fest re-releases, including a 4K restoration run in 2025.
Japan theatrical performance
Released in Japan in July 1997 and distributed by Toho, Princess Mononoke became the highest-grossing Japanese film of its time. Nippon.com ranks it second among Studio Ghibli films with a cumulative Japan total of ¥20.2 billion, a figure that includes original release and revival screenings. The film held the all-time Japan box office record until Spirited Away surpassed it in 2001.
Nausicaa.net contemporaneous reporting noted that the film had taken in more than ¥10 billion in net box office during its initial run. The 20.2 billion yen total places it just behind Spirited Away (¥31.7 billion) and ahead of Howl's Moving Castle (¥19.6 billion) in the Ghibli domestic ranking.
Worldwide and territory totals
Box Office Mojo lists a lifetime worldwide gross of $34,602,048 for Princess Mononoke. Japan contributed $15,397,083, or about 45 percent of that total. North America contributed $11,696,687 across eight tracked releases, while South Korea added $3,776,049. The film's initial 1999 North American release under Miramax accounted for only a portion of the US total; the majority came from later re-releases.
The gap between the Japanese yen total and the dollar worldwide total is partly due to exchange-rate conversion and partly because the worldwide figure does not capture all re-release grosses in every market. Box Office Mojo's 'domestic' figure refers to North America.
Princess Mononoke lifetime box office by selected territory. Source: Box Office Mojo as of 2026.| Territory | Lifetime gross | Share of worldwide |
|---|
| Japan | $15,397,083 | 44.5% |
| North America | $11,696,687 | 33.8% |
| South Korea | $3,776,049 | 10.9% |
| Russia/CIS | $630,636 | 1.8% |
| Hong Kong | $533,854 | 1.5% |
| Worldwide total | $34,602,048 | 100% |
US release and re-release timeline
Princess Mononoke's original North American release began on October 29, 1999 under Miramax. Box Office Mojo records that initial run at $2,375,308 domestically. The film built its US theatrical total through a series of re-releases: a 2001 re-release, GKIDS/Studio Ghibli Fest events in 2020 and 2024, and a 4K restoration rollout in 2025 that alone added $6,851,056 in North America.
This pattern, a modest original run followed by larger re-releases decades later, is common for Studio Ghibli titles in the US. The audience for Miyazaki's films grew substantially after Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003.
Gross type definition: Figures are theatrical gross revenue reported by distributors and tracking services, not studio net revenue. Japan totals are in yen; overseas totals are in US dollars at prevailing exchange rates.
Context in the Ghibli catalog
Princess Mononoke sits behind only Spirited Away in the Studio Ghibli Japan box office ranking compiled by Nippon.com. It outgrossed Howl's Moving Castle (¥19.6 billion), Ponyo (¥15.5 billion), and The Wind Rises (¥12.0 billion) in Japan.
The film's domestic performance helped establish the commercial viability of mature, violent animated features in Japan and paved the way for Spirited Away's even larger success four years later. Its US performance, while modest in original release, became the foundation of a long-tail theatrical business for Ghibli in North America.
What the public numbers leave out
Public sources do not report Princess Mononoke's home video, streaming, or merchandise revenue. The worldwide theatrical total mixes original releases and re-releases across many years, so it should not be read as a single first-run result. Studio Ghibli and Toho also do not disclose per-title profitability.
For analysts, the most useful headline is the Japan total in yen, because it reflects a consistent market and reporting methodology. The worldwide dollar total is best used as a rough scale figure rather than a precise comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Princess Mononoke make in Japan?
Nippon.com reports a cumulative Japan total of ¥20.2 billion, including revival screenings, making it the second-highest-grossing Studio Ghibli film in Japan.
What is Princess Mononoke's worldwide box office?
Box Office Mojo records $34,602,048 in lifetime worldwide theatrical gross, including re-releases through 2026.
How much did Princess Mononoke make in the US?
North America contributed $11,696,687, but most of that came from re-releases after 1999. The original Miramax release grossed about $2.4 million.
Who distributed Princess Mononoke in Japan?
Toho distributed Princess Mononoke in Japan in 1997, as it does for Studio Ghibli's theatrical releases.