How much of the 1988 Japanese box office came from the US and Canada?

$2.6M of the $40.6M total, or 6%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 4 report no domestic figure.

Japanese box office · 1988

Japanese Box Office 1988: Highest-Grossing Japanese Movies

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie released in 1988, with $30.4M worldwide, ahead of Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988) at $9.7M and The Yen Family (1988) at $346.7K. 4 Japanese-language films released in 1988 report a worldwide gross, $40.6M in all, 6% of it from the US & Canada. That is 11.1 times the total of 1987, whose releases took $3.7M.

1988 releases with a gross: 4
combined worldwide: $40.6M
My Neighbor Totoro (1988), the #1: $30.4M
vs 1987: ×11.1

#1 of 4

#1 Japanese-language movie of 1988

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

1988 · Fantasy, Animation

$30.4M worldwide · 75% of the chart's total

$2.3M US & Canada · 7% $28.2M elsewhere · 93%

Top 4

What Were the Biggest Japanese Hits of 1988?

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) leads with $30.4M, 75% of the total. The top 4 together took $40.6M, almost all of what the 4 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

Number 1

$30.4M My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
$2.3M US & Canada · 7% $28.2M elsewhere · 93%
Number 2

$9.7M Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988)
No US & Canada figure reported
Number 3

$346.7K The Yen Family (1988)
$346.7K US & Canada · 100% elsewhere · 0%
Number 4

$150K Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988)
No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Japanese Release of 1988, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 1988.

1
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Apr 16, 1988 · Fantasy, Animation $30.4M worldwide

Apr 16, 1988 US and Canada: $2.3M Rest of the world: $28.2M Worldwide: $30.4M
2
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988) Jul 9, 1988 · Animation, Action $9.7M worldwide

Jul 9, 1988 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $9.7M
3
The Yen Family (1988) May 14, 1988 · Comedy, Family $346.7K worldwide

May 14, 1988 US and Canada: $346.7K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $346.7K
4
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988) Mar 12, 1988 · Action, Sci-Fi $150K worldwide

Mar 12, 1988 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $150K

By release month

Which Month of 1988 Earned the Most?

April releases took the most, $30.4M from 1 film, led by My Neighbor Totoro (1988). March was the quietest month ($150K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

Last 10 years

How Does 1988 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 1988 earned the most: $40.6M from 4 films, led by My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

Year	Films	Worldwide	Change	Biggest film
1979 1 film	1	$439.5K	–	Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage (1979) $439.5K
1980 1 film · +814%	1	$4M	+814%	Kagemusha (1980) $4M
1981 2 films · −81%	2	$777.5K	−81%	Lonely Heart (1981) $777.1K
1982 4 films · +1718%	4	$14.1M	+1718%	Diner (1982) $14.1M
1983 1 film · −100%	1	$87	−100%	Golgo 13: The Professional (1983) $87
1984 No films	0	–	–	–
1985 7 films	7	$17.6M	–	Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1985) $9M
1986 No films	0	–	–	–
1987 3 films	3	$3.7M	–	Dead Heat (1987) $3.6M
1988 4 films · +1010%	4	$40.6M	+1010%	My Neighbor Totoro (1988) $30.4M

Japanese Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1936 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2023 leads with $1.6B, led by The Boy and the Heron (2023).

2020s 7 years · $6.4B

2010s 10 years · $8.1B

2000s 10 years · $3.8B

1990s 10 years · $242.4M

1980s 8 years · $97.7M

1989 $16.9M #1 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
1988 $40.6M #1 My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
1987 $3.7M #1 Dead Heat (1987)
1985 $17.6M #1 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1985)
1983 $87 #1 Golgo 13: The Professional (1983)
1982 $14.1M #1 Diner (1982)
1981 $777.5K #1 Lonely Heart (1981)
1980 $4M #1 Kagemusha (1980)

1970s 8 years · $763.7K

1960s 10 years · $651K

1950s 9 years · $1.1M

1940s 3 years · $863.9K

1930s 2 years · $23.9K

FAQ

Japanese Box Office 1988: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 4 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing Japanese-language movie in 1988?

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) leads with $30.4M worldwide, $2.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988) at $9.7M and The Yen Family (1988) at $346.7K.

How much did Japanese-language movies released in 1988 earn?

4 Japanese-language films released in 1988 report a worldwide gross, $40.6M in all, or $10.2M per film on average. 1987 releases took $3.7M.

How many Japanese-language movies released in 1988 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, My Neighbor Totoro (1988), earned $30.4M.

How is the 1988 Japanese box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 1988. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact, and so are films whose stored language is most likely wrong.

How often is the 1988 Japanese box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.