'Howl's Moving Castle' sets 2-day box-office record in Japan.

TOKYO, Nov. 22 Kyodo

Famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated film ''Howl's Moving Castle'' chalked up 1.48 billion yen in box-office revenue and attracted an audience of 1.1 million people during its first two days of release, a record for a domestic film, Toho Co. said Monday.

For its first two days, the movie surpassed the record of Miyazaki's previous work and smash hit, ''Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi'' (Spirited Away ) by 40 percent, the film distributor said.

The movie also broke the previous record set by ''Bayside Shakedown 2, Save the Rainbow Bridge,'' a popular police drama movie sequel shown in 2003. In July last year, the movie set a box-office record in Japan's film industry after garnering 1.8 billion yen in revenue and an audience of 1.26 million nationwide over its first three days.

On Miyazaki's latest offering, an official of Toho said, ''It's a chance in a million, and we are hoping that the movie will draw an audience of about 40 million people and rake in box-office revenue of 50 billion yen.''

''Spirited Away'' won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002 and the Oscar for best animated feature film in 2003. In Japan, it recorded box-office sales of 30.4 billion yen.

''Howl's Moving Castle,'' meanwhile, received the Osella outstanding technical contributions award at this year's Venice Film Festival. It opened at about 450 theaters nationwide Saturday.

''Howl's Moving Castle'' is based on a children's book of the same name by British writer Diana Wynne Jones. The story is set in a world of science and witchcraft and centers on a romance between a sorcerer named Howl and 18-year-old Sophie, who is turned into an old crone by magic.