EXCLUSIVE: Gkids will be releasing Japan’s highest-grossing local live-action title and International Oscar entry, Kokuho, in limited theaters in New York, Los Angeles and key Canadian markets on Feb. 6, with major North American expansion beginning Feb. 20.
The live action epic, directed by Sang-il Lee (Pachinko Season 2, Hula Girls, Rage), follows the struggles of an actor across decades as he gives everything to become the greatest at his craft, and stars Ryo Yoshizawa (Kingdom), Ryusei Yokohama (Your Eyes Tell), and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Inception).
In late November, the movie beame Japan‘s highest-grossing live-action film of all time in its own market, with over 12.3 million tickets sold to date, surpassing ¥17,765,043,700 Japanese yen ($113M), breaking a 22-year-old record and setting a new historic benchmark for Japanese live action films.
Kokuho made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in Directors’ Fortnight and subsequently played as an official selection at the Shanghai International Film Festival, followed by North American debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival and AFI Fest. This fall, Sang-il Lee was honored with the Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, recognizing filmmakers who will guide the industry into the future on behalf of the film. In the United States, Gkids opened the film for one-week qualifying runs on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles (AMC Universal CityWalk) and November 21 in New York (Angelika Film Center), which resulted in sold-out shows and a strong cumulative gross of over $77K ($38,5K theater average).
Yoshizawa trained 18 months in the art and history of Kabuki theater to embody the role of Kikuo, an actor pursuing greatness at all costs in a story of glory and heartbreak that spans decades. Watanabe plays a legendary Kabuki master in a performance that pays homage to the art of Kabuki.
The theatrical release of Kokuho reps a new phase for Gkids as its expands into contemporary live-action cinema. In addition to the record-breaking Japanese box office phenomenon, this year the studio also launched the theatrical re-releases of the comedy-drama cult classic Linda Linda Linda directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, and the acclaimed 2016 global hit Shin Godzilla from director Hideaki Anno and co-director Shinji Higuchi.
Gkids currently has the anime title, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, in U.S./Canada theaters which has grossed close to $12M in its first six days of release.