In This Corner of the World anime producer Taro Maki revealed on his Twitter account on Wednesday that the film has earned 1 billion yen (about US$8.53 million) at the Japanese box office. Maki said that the additional 6,000 people needed to reach that figure had attended screenings. The producer said that the film would reach the box-office milestone by that morning.

Sunao Katabuchi's film rose from #10 to #9 at the box office in Japan this past weekend in its eighth week of screening. As of December 27, the film had sold more than 600,000 tickets to earn more than 800 million yen (US$6.83 million) at the Japanese box office. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper had reported in November that the film was projected to earn 500 million yen (US$4.50 million).

The film debuted in 63 Japanese theaters on November 12 and sold 32,032 tickets to earn 47,042,090 yen (US$434,288). The film ranked #10 in the Japanese box office in its opening weekend. All screenings at Theatre Shinjuku, Theatre Umeda, and Cine Libre Umeda were sold out on the first day, and more locations held sold-out screenings on the second day. Due to the film's popularity, more theaters are adding screenings; the film's website lists 215 theaters that have screened or will screen the film.

Animatsu Entertainment acquired the global rights to the film. The film is slated to open in 14 foreign countries, beginning in England, France, and South America, and it will eventually travel to Germany, Mexico, and other countries.

The film is based on Fumiyo Kono's To All The Corners Of The World (Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) manga. The award-winning manga follows a bride named Suzu Urano as she moves to her new life in Kure City on the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture. Suzu perseveres through World War II with pluck and determination.

Director and writer Sunao Katabuchi (Mai Mai Miracle, Black Lagoon) had announced the feature film in 2012. Additional staff for the film includes Chie Uratani (Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, Mai Mai Miracle, Tekkonkinkreet animation director) as assistant director and screen composition, Hidenori Matsubara ( Oh My Goddess! , Sakura Wars , King of Thorn ) as character designer and animation director, kotringo ( The Bears' School , Gourmet Girl Graffiti ) on the music, and Taro Maki as producer at GENCO. MAPPA studio founder and producer Masao Maruyama is credited for planning. Tokyo Theatres Company is distributing the film.

The film won the Hiroshima Peace Film Award at the Hiroshima International Film Festival in November, and it screened at Annecy in a Work in Progress session in June.

JManga had released Kono's manga in English online. The manga series won an Excellence Prize in the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival, and it already inspired a live-action television special starring Keiko Kitagawa (live-action Sailor Moon's Sailor Mars, Paradise Kiss) as Suzu Urano in 2011. Last Gasp Publishing and jaPress released Kono's Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms manga in North America.

Source: Kogyo Tsushin via 0takomu

Update: Article corrected to remove mention of a screening in Scotland. The film has yet to premiere in the United Kingdom. Thanks, Shiroi Hane.