Suzume

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Suzume?

Directed by Makoto Shinkai, with Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu leading the cast, Suzume was produced by CoMix Wave Films with a confirmed budget of $13,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for animation films.

At $13,000,000, Suzume was produced on a modest budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $32,500,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Miss Sloane (2016): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $9,101,546 → ROI: -30% • RoboCop (1987): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $53,424,681 → ROI: 311% • The Godfather Part II (1974): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $102,600,000 → ROI: 689% • The Holdovers (2023): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $42,513,270 → ROI: 227% • In the Name of the Father (1993): Budget $13,000,000 | Gross $65,796,862 → ROI: 406%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Animation Production Pipeline The bulk of an animated film's budget funds the multi-year production pipeline: storyboarding, character modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing. Major studio animated features employ 300–600 artists over 3–5 years.

▸ Voice Talent Celebrity voice casting has become standard for studio animation, with A-list actors earning $5–15 million for voice roles.

▸ Music, Songs & Sound Design Original songs and orchestral scores are central to animated storytelling. Sound design for animated worlds must be created entirely from scratch.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito Key roles: Nanoka Hara as Suzume Iwato (voice); Hokuto Matsumura as Souta Munakata (voice); Eri Fukatsu as Tamaki Iwato (voice); Shota Sometani as Minoru Okabe (voice)

DIRECTOR: Makoto Shinkai CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ryosuke Tsuda MUSIC: Yojiro Noda, Kazuma Jinnouchi EDITING: Makoto Shinkai PRODUCTION: CoMix Wave Films, Story, Lawson Entertainment, jeki, voque ting, KADOKAWA, Aniplex, TOHO FILMED IN: Japan

Box Office Performance

Suzume earned $10,932,037 domestically and $304,060,169 internationally, for a worldwide total of $314,992,206. International markets drove the majority of revenue (97%), indicating strong global appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), Suzume needed approximately $32,500,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $282,492,206.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $314,992,206 Budget: $13,000,000 Net: $301,992,206 ROI: 2323.0%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

Suzume was a clear financial success, generating $314,992,206 worldwide against a $13,000,000 production budget — a 2323% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to CoMix Wave Films.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

The outsized success of Suzume likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar animation projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Casting

Nanoka Hara was revealed as the voice of Suzume Iwato on July 5, 2022. Shinkai selected her from an audition involving more than 1,700 people. Hara has been a fan of Shinkai's works, remarking that she could not imagine being the one to share the "unforgettable, heart-shaking sensation" she felt when first seeing one of his films in theaters. On September 6, 2022, Hokuto Matsumura's role as Souta Munakata was revealed. He described the character as one that "[he] had never seen in any of the director's works". Therefore, Matsumura gave a voice for Souta that he "had never heard before," which involved using a slightly lower tone. Shinkai found his voice to be "impressive" and said that it "embodies the character". These were Hara and Matsumura's first anime voice-acting roles.

▸ Music & Score

On September 20, 2022, it was announced that the band Radwimps, which had previously collaborated with Shinkai on Your Name and Weathering with You, would be composing the score for the film, along with composer Kazuma Jinnouchi. It was also revealed that TikTok singer Toaka provided the vocals for the first theme song, , which debuted on music streaming services on September 30, 2022. The second theme song, , debuted online on October 28, 2022.

▸ Marketing & Release

A teaser poster was released alongside the film's announcement. It was also announced that the film would be released on November 11. and a full trailer was released on July 15. The main poster, along with the second trailer, was released on September 29, 2022. Nippon TV previewed the first 12 minutes of the film on October 28, 2022, during a broadcast of Your Name on NNN's '''' programming block. Prior to the film's release, the production committee warned filmgoers of scenes in the film that depict an earthquake and sounds of earthquake alarms, and reassured that the sounds were fictional.

Several bonus items were given to filmgoers in Japan. A booklet, titled , was the first to be distributed, and had a print run of 3 million copies. The booklet contained the original proposals for Suzume, Your Name, and Weathering with You, and interviews with Shinkai, Hara, and Matsumura. A second booklet, , was distributed beginning on December 3, with a print run of 1.5 million copies. A spin-off novel written by Shinkai, subtitled , was given starting on December 24. A second novel, , was distributed starting on January 28, 2023. McDonald's Japan released a Happy Meal set that includes a spin-off picture book, titled , which tells an original story written by Shinkai and illustrated by Senbon Umishima. Other partners for the film include , Lawson, and KDDI's au. Additionally, a promotional campaign was held involving one local company from each of the 47 prefectures of Japan. The film also had a 20-page special feature in the #50/2022 issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 4 wins & 29 nominations total

Nominations: ○ Silver Bear Jury Prize (73rd Berlin International Film Festival) ○ Golden Bear (73rd Berlin International Film Festival) ○ Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (73rd Berlin International Film Festival)

Additional Recognition: ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Date of ceremony ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Recipient(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |

! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="3" | AnimaniA Awards

! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="7" | Annie Awards

! scope="row" | Asia Pacific Screen Awards

! scope="row" | Astra Film Awards

! scope="row" | Austin Film Critics Association

! scope="row" | Berlin International Film Festival

! scope="row" | Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival

! scope="row" | Celebration of Cinema and Television

! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="6" | Crunchyroll Anime Awards

! scope="row" | Florida Film Critics Circle

! scope="row" | Golden Globe Awards

! scope="row" | Hochi Film Awards

! scope="row" rowspan="2"|

! scope="row" | International Cinephile Society

! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2" | Japan Academy Film Prize

! scope="row" | London Film Critics' Circle

! scope="rowgroup" rowspan="2" | Mainichi Film Awards

! scope="row" | Newtype Anime Awards

! scope="row" | NexTone Awards

! scope="row" | Paris Film Critics Awards

! scope="row" | Satellite Awards

! scope="row" | Saturn Awards

! scope="row" | Seattle Film Critics Society

! scope="row" | Seiun Awards

! scope="row" | World Soundtrack Awards

CRITICAL RECEPTION

On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of 77 out of 100 based on 27 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 89% positive score, with 72% saying they would recommend it.

On Japanese review site Filmarks, Suzume received an average rating of 4.00/5 based on 6,585 user reviews, placing second in its first-day satisfaction ranking. Richard Eisenbeis, writing for Anime News Network, graded the film "A", praising the story, characters, animation, and music, but found the plot structure to be similar to Your Name and Weathering with You, making the film "more predictable." Eisenbeis also criticized the appearance of a creature that Suzume encountered in Tokyo, describing it as "a cheap CG effect placed over the otherwise quality animation and blended poorly." Gautam Sunder of The Hindu praised Shinkai's "mastery over light and shadows", character writing, humour, and references to older animated films, while conceding that it could not match "the raw beauty of The Garden of Words or the dramatic beats of Your Name".