Hayao Miyazaki‘s Studio Ghibli has inked a deal with mm2 Entertainment to distribute the studio’s classic anime flicks across theaters in Southeast Asia. This won’t just be a short stint, either, with five years marked in the contract.
As Hollywood Reporter reports, mm2 will release 21 of Miyazaki’s classics, such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle across Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Cambodia. This is yet another move from the studio to bolster its beloved library, having done something similar in the past few years over in mainland China, which saw the studio net over $70 million.
There won’t be too much of a wait for Southeast Asia fans as the first film to see theatrical circulation will be later this year across the regions ranging from mm2-owned cinemas and partners in territories where the company doesn’t operate theaters.
The latest in Studio Ghibli fare, The Boy and the Heron, has seen tremendous success at last year’s box office, topping off at $250 million. Beyond the world of film, though, an exhibit at ArtScience Museum in Singapore, dubbed World of Studio Ghibli, will open up in the future, which will introduce unaware people to the plethora of IPs under the Japanese studio’s belt.
