A trio of anime properties will be coming to North American theaters later this year, with the Sony-owned Crunchyroll unveiling plans at CinemaCon Tuesday during a presentation that underscored the once-underground medium has gone mainstream.
Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle will arrive in theaters on May 31, both subtitled and dubbed. The film is a continuation of the volley ball-themed anime. The film will finally show the showdown between two underdog teams, Karasuno High and Nekoma High. Susumu Mitsunaka directs and penned the script, from a story by Haruichi Furudate. The film has already grossed $60 million in Japan.
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Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi is the first film in the Blue Lock franchise and will follow fan vaorite character Nagi Seishiro. It arrives both subtitled and dubbed on June 28 and kicks off with classmate Mikage Reo discovering Nagi Seishiro’s hidden talents and inspiring him to play soccer. One day, Nagi is invited to join the Blue Lock Project, where he meets the finest soccer players in the country. Shunsuke Ishikawa directs from an original story by Muneyuki Kaneshiro.
Crunchyroll also revealed it has acquired Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, with a release date to be determined. It’s the first film in the franchise, and picks up after season four, with the story following a regular man transported into his favorite video game. Naoyuki Ito directs, from a story by Kugane Maruyama.
The moves come as anime has become an increasingly important genre in domestic theaters, which are looking for alternative programming amid a slowdown in studio films due to last year’s labor strikes.
“Anime is red hot right now,” said Mitchel Berger, senior VP global commerce as he offered a primer to the assembled theater owners, noting that for any western story they like, he could likely offer an anime they would also enjoy. He also noted that those who enjoy anime feel a strong (perhaps, obsessive) connection. “We don’t strive to be something to everyone. We want to be everything, to someone,” said Berger.
Crunchyroll, which Sony acquired in 2021, has found success in recent years, with 2022’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero grossing $38.1 million domestically and $86.5 million globally in 2022, and a year earlier finding ah it with Jujutsu Kaisen, which brought in $34.5 million domestically and $166.7 million globally. And the anime genre recently took home best foreign language Oscar for Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron.
“Anime is made for the big screen, with its sweeping stories, dynamic animation, compelling characters, but also with the unique way it brings a passionate fanbase together,” said Berger, who boasted that Crunchryoll titles could feel a theater on any day, from a random Tuesday to an opening night Friday. “Fans tell their friends … about their experience, and then tell them very often,” said Berger.
