Japan’s top-grossing local live-action film ever and its official Oscar submission, Kokuho, is slated for a 2026 rollout via Gkids.
Gkids will release Kokuho in limited theatres across New York, Los Angeles, and select Canadian markets on February 6, with a broader North American expansion beginning February 20.
Directed by Sang-il Lee (Pachinko: Season 2, Hula Girls, Rage), the epic follows a decades-spanning quest of an actor who sacrifices everything to master his craft. The cast features Ryo Yoshizawa (Kingdom), Ryusei Yokohama (Your Eyes Tell), and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Inception).
In late November, Kokuho set a new record as Japan’s highest-grossing live-action film, selling over 12.3 million tickets and earning more than ¥17,765,043,700 (about $113 million), surpassing a 22-year-old benchmark.
The film world-premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in Directors’ Fortnight, then appeared at the Shanghai International Film Festival, followed by North American debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival and AFI Fest. This fall, director Sang-il Lee received the Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for guiding the industry toward the future with this work. In the U.S., Gkids offered one-week qualifying runs on November 14 in Los Angeles (AMC Universal CityWalk) and November 21 in New York (Angelika Film Center), both selling out and delivering a combined gross exceeding $77,000 (average per-theatre about $38,500).
To embody Kikuo, a performer driven by the pursuit of greatness across generations, Yoshizawa underwent 18 months of Kabuki training in both the art and history of the form. Watanabe delivers a performance as a legendary Kabuki master honoring the tradition.
Kokuho’s theatrical release marks a new chapter for Gkids as the company broadens its focus beyond animation into contemporary live-action features. Beyond Kokuho’s domestic success, Gkids has also re-released Linda Linda Linda, Nobuhiro Yamashita’s cult comedy-drama, and Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Godzilla (2016) this year.
Within the studio’s current slate, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution is playing in U.S./Canada theatres and has already accumulated nearly $12 million in its first six days of release.
Would you be willing to share your take on Kokuho’s impact on Japan’s live-action landscape and its potential influence on international audiences?
