The Anime News Service has reported that anime feature films took 11 of the top 20 spots in the list of Japanese box office totals for 2004 as well as representing more than 60% of the total box office take for the top domestically produced films.  Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle is largely responsible for anime's dominance, having earned some 20 billion Yen in 2004, more than twice as much as the second place film. 

Among the other anime features in the top 20 (based on properties that are well known in the States) were: Pokemon Advanced Generation (#4 with 4.3 billion Yen), the latest Doraemon feature (#5 with 3 billion), the new Detective Conan (Case Closed in the U.S.) film (#6 with 2.8 billion), One Piece: The Movie (#11 with 1.8 billion), Crayon Shinchan (#17 with 1.2 billion), Otomo's Steamboy (#18 with 1.1 billion) and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (#20 with 1 billion).

According to Nausicaa.net, Disney's flagship theater, the El Capitan in Hollywood, has scheduled Howl's Moving Castle for June 10th, indicating the film's likely premiere date here in the States and confirming earlier reports of this key film's debut (see 'Howl's Moving Castle to Debut in June').