The Wind Rises box office: Japan, overseas, and worldwide
Miyazaki's 2013 film topped the Japanese box office and became his highest-grossing non-fantasy release. The overseas total, however, depends heavily on re-releases.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) was the top-grossing film in Japan in 2013, earning ¥12.02 billion according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren). Box Office Mojo records a lifetime worldwide gross of $137,057,428, of which $119,513,192 came from Japan and $5,209,580 from North America as of re-releases through 2026. The film's North American lifetime total includes multiple Studio Ghibli Fest and anniversary re-releases, not only the original 2014 run.
Japan theatrical performance
The Wind Rises opened in Japan on July 20, 2013. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it took $9.6 million (¥960 million) in its first two days across more than 450 screens, the biggest opening of the year in Japan at that point. The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) later ranked it the number one film of 2013 with ¥12.02 billion in domestic box office revenue.
That made The Wind Rises the first Japanese film in five years to top the annual Japanese box office, and the year's only film to pass $100 million in the market. It also became the fifth-highest-grossing Studio Ghibli film in Japan at ¥12.0 billion, behind Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo.
Worldwide and territory totals
Box Office Mojo lists a lifetime worldwide gross of $137,057,428 for The Wind Rises. Of that, $119,513,192 came from Japan, representing roughly 87 percent of the total. North America contributed $5,209,580, while France added $5,446,333, South Korea $1,886,354, and the United Kingdom $1,210,181.
The worldwide figure is cumulative across several release windows, including the original 2013-2014 rollout and later Ghibli Fest and anniversary re-releases in North America and Asia-Pacific. Box Office Mojo classifies the Japanese gross as 'international' and the North American gross as 'domestic' in its standard terminology.
The Wind Rises lifetime box office by selected territory. Source: Box Office Mojo as of 2026.| Territory | Lifetime gross | Share of worldwide |
|---|
| Japan | $119,513,192 | 87.2% |
| North America | $5,209,580 | 3.8% |
| France | $5,446,333 | 4.0% |
| South Korea | $1,886,354 | 1.4% |
| United Kingdom | $1,210,181 | 0.9% |
| Worldwide total | $137,057,428 | 100% |
Timeline of releases and re-releases
The film's earliest theatrical release listed by Box Office Mojo was February 21, 2012 in Brazil, though the Japanese premiere followed on July 20, 2013. Disney handled the original North American theatrical release, which began in select cities in late 2013 and expanded in early 2014. Subsequent North American grosses came from GKIDS/Studio Ghibli Fest re-releases in 2020, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Because the Box Office Mojo total blends original releases and re-releases across 22 markets, the $137 million figure should be read as cumulative reported theatrical revenue rather than a single first-run total. Eiren's ¥12.02 billion figure, by contrast, refers specifically to the film's performance during the 2013 Japanese calendar-year chart.
Gross type definition: Box office figures in this guide are theatrical gross revenue reported by distributors and tracking services, not studio net revenue or profit. Japan figures are typically reported in yen by Eiren; overseas figures are in US dollars at prevailing exchange rates.
Context among Miyazaki and Ghibli films
With ¥12.0 billion in Japan, The Wind Rises sits behind Spirited Away (¥31.7 billion), Princess Mononoke (¥20.2 billion), Howl's Moving Castle (¥19.6 billion), and Ponyo (¥15.5 billion) in the Studio Ghibli domestic ranking compiled by Nippon.com. It is, however, Miyazaki's highest-grossing film that is not a fantasy or family adventure.
The film was also notable as the highest-grossing Japanese film of 2013, ahead of One Piece Film Z at ¥6.87 billion. Its success helped Japanese films capture a 60.6 percent share of the domestic box office that year, the sixth consecutive year local titles outearned foreign releases.
What the numbers do not show
Public sources do not break out home video, streaming, or television revenue for The Wind Rises. Studio Ghibli and distributor Toho do not report per-title profit. The worldwide theatrical total also mixes original runs and re-releases, so it cannot be compared directly to a single-territory first-run figure.
For investors and analysts, the most reliable comparable is the Japanese yen total reported by Eiren, because it reflects a single market and a consistent reporting period. The dollar worldwide total is useful for scale but is sensitive to exchange-rate conversion and re-release timing.
Frequently asked questions
What was The Wind Rises total box office in Japan?
The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) reported ¥12.02 billion for The Wind Rises in 2013, making it the year's top-grossing film in Japan.
How much did The Wind Rises make worldwide?
Box Office Mojo records a lifetime worldwide theatrical gross of $137,057,428, including re-releases through 2026. Japan accounted for about $119.5 million of that total.
What was The Wind Rises opening weekend in Japan?
The film opened to $9.6 million (¥960 million) in its first two days in Japan in July 2013, the biggest opening of the year at that time.
Is The Wind Rises the highest-grossing Studio Ghibli film?
No. In Japan it ranks fifth among Studio Ghibli films, behind Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo.