Photo courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. ©SHUICHI YOSHIDA/ASP ©2025 KOKUHO Film Partners
Source: GKIDS
Official Site: kokuhou-movie.com (Japan), https://gkids.com/films/kokuho/ (US)
Photo courtesy of GKIDS. ©SHUICHI YOSHIDA/ASP ©2025 KOKUHO Film Partners
Academy Award-winning producer and distributor GKIDS announced today special one-week-only theatrical engagements of KOKUHO (国宝, 2025) in New York and Los Angeles, and revealed new poster artwork. The film is set to play at the AMC Universal CityWalk Hollywood in Los Angeles on November 14, 2025 and Angelika Film Center in New York City on November 21, 2025, with a nationwide release to come.
Previously announced as Japan’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 98 th Academy Awards, the smash-hit live action feature is directed by Sang-il Lee (PACHINKO Season 2, Hula Girls, Rage), and stars and stars Ryo Yoshizawa (KINGDOM), Ryusei Yokohama (YOUR EYES TELL), and Ken Watanabe (THE LAST SAMURAI, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS). The film marks a breakthrough performance for lead actor Ryo Yoshizawa, who 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.
The film is produced by Aniplex Inc. and Myriagon Studio, and international sales are handled by Pyramide International. GKIDS announced their acquisition for North America just prior to the film’s Noth American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, and marks a historical new phase for GKIDS as its first live-action contemporary film, after several successful re-releases of catalog Japanese live action films including SHIN GODZILLA and LINDA LINDA LINDA.
Upon its domestic release in Japan in June, KOKUHO has become a box office phenomenon, grossing over $104 million (10.9 million admissions) as of September 28th, marking the film as the second-highest grossing Japanese live-action film of all time.
KOKUHO held its world debut at Cannes in Directors’ Fortnight and subsequently played as an official selection at the Shanghai International Film Festival, followed by its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film will be playing at AFI Fest next month on October 24th. In November, Director Sang-il Lee will receive the Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, which recognizes filmmakers who will guide the industry into the future.
Synopsis
Nagasaki, 1964 – After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – from acting school to the grandest stages – amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals… one of them will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of kabuki.
From acclaimed director Lee Sang-il, KOKUHO (meaning "national treasure") is a film of awe-inspiring scope and sumptuous beauty, and a monument to the artists who would sacrifice everything in the pursuit of the ultimate performance.
For more on KOKUHO, see the Toho Press Notes and Photo Gallery here on SciFi Japan.
Photo courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. ©SHUICHI YOSHIDA/ASP ©2025 KOKUHO Film Partners
About GKIDS
GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world. After an astounding 13 Best Animated Feature nominations, the company took home the Oscar in 2024 for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed feature, THE BOY AND THE HERON. The company’s previous nominations include THE SECRET OF KELLS in 2010, A CAT IN PARIS and CHICO & RITA in 2012, ERNEST & CELESTINE in 2014, THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA and SONG OF THE SEA in 2015, BOY AND THE WORLD and WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE in 2016, MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI in 2017, THE BREADWINNER in 2018, MIRAI in 2019, WOLFWALKERS in 2021, and THE BOY AND THE HERON in 2024.
For more than a decade, GKIDS’ influence on cinema has redefined the perception of animation as an artistic medium on par with live-action film through its stewardship of the Studio Ghibli catalog and by introducing American audiences to the critically-acclaimed films of other master filmmakers from around the world such as Makoto Shinkai (WEATHERING WITH YOU), Mamoru Hosoda (BELLE), Masaaki Yuasa (INU-OH), Tomm Moore (WOLFWALKERS), Hideaki Anno (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION), Nora Twomey (THE BREADWINNER), Satoshi Kon (PERFECT BLUE) and Hiroyuki Imaishi (Promare), among countless others. GKIDS is also the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions.