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Highest Grossing Anime Movies: Anime may have been born in Japan, but today it’s popular around the world. So successful it has been that many of its films have become some of the highest-grossing films ever.
Animated films are not a replica of “real movies,” are not shadows of reality but create a new existence in their own right.
Anime is now one of the most talked-about genres of movies, and lots of new anime movies are released every year worldwide. The best of anime movie of all time, though. It should be being updated as time goes by.
Whether you are looking for a list with titles to get you started with anime, or just because of curiosity, you want to see which titles were among the highest grosser. This time, we have brought you the 10 Highest Grossing Anime Movies in history.
Let’s Start The List of the Highest Grossing Anime Movies of All Time :
10. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 7.6/10
The movie is released in the year 2010, was the directorial debut of Yonebayashi Hiromasa, produced by Studio Ghibli. This is the tenth Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Animation, Family
World wide gross 149 million dollars.
‘The Secret World Of Arrietty’ Is A Beautiful, Whimsical & Heartfelt Fable From Studio Ghibli.
The film is a very beautifully hand-drawn and touchingly crafted coming-of-age story.
The movie’s story is based on the book “The Borrowers, “The Secret World of Arrietty.
The Secret World of Arrietty successfully delivers plenty of atmosphere, charm, and drama by moving at a measured pace. The characters are generally likable and grounded, especially the Borrower Arrietty and the human Shō.
The movie’s storyline runs on A family named Clock Family, who are four-inch-tall who live in the residence of another’s family, borrowing simple items to make their home. Their life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
A tiny but tenacious 14-year-old girl, Arrietty, lives with her parents in a suburban garden house, unbeknownst to the landlord and her housekeeper. Like all little people, Arrietty remains hidden from the eyesight, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn, a human boy who comes to stay in the home, sees his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship starts blossoming. If located, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from home and straight into danger.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won -12
9. Pokemon : The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 6.7/10
Along with Dragon Ball and SailorMoon, Pokemon introduced many ’90s children to anime. The most successful film in the Nintendo franchise, and This is the ninth Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Anime, Kids & Family, Adventure
World wide gross of 163 million dollars.
The story somewhat is regular of Scientists genetically create a new Pokémon, Mewtwo, but the results are horrific and disastrous.
The film primarily consists of three segments: Pikachu’s Vacation, a 21-minute feature focusing on the series mascot Pikachu; Origin of Mewtwo, the 10-minute prologue added to the Complete Version of the film; and Mewtwo Strikes Back the main 75-minute film feature.
Streaming platform- Netflix, Hoopla
Awards won -3
8. Princess Mononoke(1997) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 8.4/10
The fan-favorite movie is one of the best movies produced by the famous Ghibli studio directed by the legendary and Hayao Miyazaki. This is the eighth Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Anime, Adventure, Fantasy
World wide gross of the movie is 169 million dollars.
The storyline runs on a journey to seek the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse. Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest, Ashitaka also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
The fantasy film focuses on the Muromachi Period (1336-1573) with the two main characters, Ashitaka and San. Both are raised by wolves in the forest. The conflict between humans and nature is featured there, and Ashitaka seeks a way for both to coexist.
Princess Mononoke’s greatest strength is in her unpreachy representation of both sides of the coin, be it nature or humanity. The story is mature, engrossing, and timeless.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won – 13
7. Stand by Me Doraemon (2014) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 7.5/10
Our favorite blue robotic cat from the future is an icon to generations of anime fans. To no one’s surprise, the fans came in droves to watch what producers promised as different from other Doraemon films.
Doraemon presents a compelling case for being the best of the bunch. This is the Seventh Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Comedy, Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
World wide gross 183 million dollars.
Only 7 episodes are picked for the anime movie, and the beginning and the end of Doraemon are presented. Both adults and children be able to enjoy the story laughing and crying.
The movie storyline is of Doraemon, a robot cat, traveling to the past to lead Nobita, a clumsy kid, away from a catastrophic future. The film covers Doraemon’s entire time with Nobita, which ends with an emotional goodbye.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won- 3
6. Weathering With You (2019) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 7.5/10
Riding on the immense popularity of his previous film, Makoto Shinkai created Weathering With You. It’s only been a couple of years since this movie hit theaters. This is the sixth Highest Grossing Anime movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Anime, Drama, Fantasy
World wide gross over – 193 Million dollars.
Beautifully animated and narratively engaging, Weathering with You further establishes writer-director Makoto Shinkai as a singularly talented filmmaker.
Weathering With You might not hold too many surprises for those familiar with Shinkai’s previous creations, but it’s still a beautiful work of art. The music is brilliant, the animation stunning, and the characters are enjoyable.
Weathering with You includes many themes you need to consider, such as unusual meteorological phenomena, child-rearing, poverty, and so on.
The storyline is of a high-school boy who has run away to Tokyo to be friends with a girl who appears to manipulate the weather.
The last part of “Weathering With You” feels the most extreme. Shinkai conceived the movie on the premise that average folks don’t appreciate the degree to which the weather influences their emotions, nor do they realize how their individual decisions, no matter how small, may contribute to global climate change.
Streaming platform – Netflix, HBO max, Hoopla.
Awards won – 6
5. Ponyo (2008) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 7.7/10
The success of another Studio Ghibli is a highly thoughtful and detailed animation that has a breathtaking soundtrack and an action-packed story that has led to it gaining huge collections. This is the fifth Highest Grossing Anime movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Fantasy, Anime, Adventure
World wide gross of over 204 Million dollars.
The movie does not have a dull moment in it, and the animation might just be Studio Ghibli’s best. Ponyo seeps magic out of every frame. It received lots of critical acclaim for its uplifting themes, visual design, and simultaneous appeal towards young children and all audiences.
The story runs on a five-year-old boy who develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess, becomes a human after falling in love with him.
During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo longs to become human, and as her friendship with Sosuke grows, she becomes more humanlike.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won – 12
4. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 8.2/10
The movie is inspired by a novel of the same name by Dianna Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle is, in many ways, is based on an anti-Iraq war protest of Miyazaki. The famous Ghibli studio produces the movie. This is the Fourth Highest Grossing Anime movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Anime, Fantasy
The movie has a worldwide gross of over 236 million dollars.
The movie contains delights and inventions without pause and has undeniable charm, while it is always wonderful to watch, while it has the Miyazaki visual wonderment.
It is a love story between an 18-year-old girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch into an older woman’s body, and a magician named Howl. Ultimately, this is a film all about life, nature, and love.
The heroine Sophie is transformed into a ninety-year-old woman by the witch’s curse. Her adventure proceeds with the main character Howl and the moving castle.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won – 14
3. Your Name (2016) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 8.4/10
The film was directed and written by renowned director Makoto Shinkai. It is one of the biggest surprises in recent years. This is the third Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Romance, Anime, Fantasy
The movie has collected a worldwide gross of over 357 million dollars.
The movie is a crowd-pleaser that offers humor, great plot twists, and compelling character drama.
Saying “Your Name” is visually striking would be a giant understatement about the movie. Shinkai and his whole team have both an eye for details and a poetic vision for the movie. The settings of “Your Name” somehow feel both relatable and magical at the same time.
The story is between two strangers who find themselves linked bizarrely. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart.
A teenage boy, and a girl, embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they swap bodies magically.
It is mainly based on the two real-life places Tokyo and Takayama, in Central Japan. Makoto Shinkai beautifully represents the real world, encouraging the fans to travel the spots pictured in the movie.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won – 16
2. Spirited Away (2001) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 8.6/10
The Oscar-winning film directed by Hayao Miyazaki produced Studio Ghibli. It is one of the most successful movies in its production and the second most popular anime film globally. This is the Second Highest-Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
It has gained the highest recognition worldwide, including Best Animated Feature in the 75th Academy Awards. It has been the highest-grossing movie ever made in Japan, while about two decades passed since it was released.
Genre(s): Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
The movie has collected a worldwide total of 383 million dollars.
The movie’s story is of a girl’s, during her family moves to the suburbs. A 10-year-old girl lost into a world ruled by, witches, spirits, and gods where humans are transformed into beasts.
A 10-year-old girl Chihiro wanders into a weird and strange world with her parents, and her parents are changed into pigs due to a curse, and she decides to work hard in the bathhouse under the witch’s rule named Yubaba to help them, losing her real name and changing to Sen.
Streaming platform – Netflix
Awards won – 58
1. Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba : The Mugen Train (2020) : Highest Grossing Anime Movies
IMDB Rating : 8.3/10
It is the first non-Hollywood film to top the annual global box-office tally. Naturally, it became the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time. This is the First Highest Grossing Anime Movies till 2021.
Genre(s): Anime, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The movie has a worldwide gross of over 500 million dollars, making it the most successful anime film of all time.
The two-hour Mugen Train does sort of feel like 4-5 episodes of the main series smashed together. It’s easy to see the “phases” of the film.
The film’s vivid animation and slick fantasy violence are a refreshing change of pace.
Demon Slayer is everything a true fan of manga and anime series could hope for, from its stunning animation and spectacular fight sequences to its emotional storytelling.
The movie story is of a guy who turns into a demon slayer after his family was brutally murdered and his sister Nezuko turned into a demon. Tanjiro’s journey as a demon slayer began. Tanjiro and his comrades took on a new mission aboard the Mugen Train, on track to despair.
The film opens precisely where the Anime series ends. Tanjiro and his comrades have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion. They arrive on the Mugen Train for their next mission, where over forty people have disappeared in a brief span of time. Tanjiro and Nezuko, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join one of the most powerful swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, to face the demon aboard the Mugen Train, on track to despair. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, became the Highest Grossing Anime Movies.
Streaming Platform – Netflix
Awards won – 3
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FAQ about Highest Grossing Anime Movies :
Which anime movie has biggest Opening day?
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train has the biggest opening day for an Anime movie.
Biggest opening weekend for an anime movie?
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, also has the biggest opening weekend for an Anime movie in Japan.
