As of 1:00 p.m. on its opening day, Studio Ghibli's Karigurashi no Arrietty anime film is filling seats at 87% the rate of the last Ghibli film (2008's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea). Arrietty, which opened on 447 screens on Saturday, also set the record among Ghibli films
for the most pre-sale tickets sold. The film distributor TOHO anticipates that the film will eventually earn at least 10 billion yen (US$120 million), while longtime Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki said that he wants it to surpass Ponyo.

Veteran Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi is making his feature film directorial debut with this adaptation of The Borrowers (Yukashita no Kobito-tachi) novel by English author Mary Norton. On opening day, Yonebayashi and Suzuki made a special appearance at Tokyo's Scala-za theater with Mirai Shida (the voice of the title character Arrietty), Ryunosuke Kamiki (Sho), Keiko Takeshita (Sadako), Tomokazu Miura (Pod), Shinobu Ōtake (Homily), and theme song composer/performer Cécile Corbel.

Ponyo eventually became the #1 film — domestic or foreign — of 2008 at the Japanese box office with 15.4 billion yen (US$165 million).