Looks like retirement has so far been a good career move for Hayao Miyazaki.
Following the animation master’s announcement last week at the Venice Film Festival that he is retiring from making films, the box office take for his current film, The Wind Rises, shot up more than 13 percent in Japan — despite the film having been in release for two months, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The trade reports that Miyazaki held a news conference Friday in Tokyo to confirm what he told the media at Venice: that The Wind Rises would be the 72-year-old director’s final film.
The Wind Rises has earned an estimated $97 million at the box office in Japan since it opened two months ago. It has been the top-earning movie in the country since its release, and with this being the final Miyazaki movie, his popularity is expected to continue to boost attendance for The Wind Rises.
Walt Disney Pictures’ Touchstone Studios is planning to release the film (in Japanese with English subtitles) Nov. 8 in Los Angeles to qualify it for this year’s Oscar race. It’s slated for limited release in North American theaters on Feb. 21, 2014, and expanded release on Feb. 28, 2014.
