A promotional image from the Japanese film 'Kimi no Na wa.' The Japanese box-office hit will hit local theaters a week before the annual MMFF.

The hit Japanese animated fantasy film "Kimi no Na wa (Your Name.)," about two teenagers drawn to each other by gender-swapping dreams, will be shown in local theaters next week, SM Cinema confirmed on its website Saturday afternoon.

It will begin screening on December 14, a week before the start of the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), during which cinemas in Metro Manila are mandated to show only local films.

Directed by Makoto Shinkai ("5 Centimeters per Second"), a Japanese director who has drawn comparisons to Studio Ghibli's acclaimed auteur Hayao Miyazaki, "Kimi no Na wa" has been captivating moviegoers in Japan since its August release.

It has now earned more than 20 billion yen (close to P8.7 billion), surpassing the 19.6 billion yen (close to P8.5 million) earnings of Studio Ghibli's "Howl's Moving Castle," reported the Anime News Network. It is now the second highest grossing Japanese film of all time.

The only Japanese film to gross higher is the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away," also from Studio Ghibli, which took in 30.8 billion yen (P13 billion) worldwide.

"Kimi no Na wa" topped the Japanese box office for nine straight weekends before dropping to number two. It then jumped to the top again for two more weeks, before settling for second place behind "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," a Harry Potter film franchise spin-off.

The film has also made the official Oscar consideration list in the Best Animated Feature category.

"Kimi no Na wa" is the second Japanese film to screen in Philippine theaters in as many weeks following the local release of the live-action film "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April)."

Theaters which will be showing "Kimi no Na wa" will be announced in the coming days, according to SM Cinema.