Hanumanth Reddy
Although Makoto Shinkai delivered a lot of masterpieces over the years, the next time has become a bit special. Especially with Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, and Wild Bunch’s teaming up to distribute it globally. Animated by CoMix Wave Films (as usual), the upcoming Makoto Shinkai’s film, Suzume no Tojimari has been in the dealings for the past few days regarding the distribution rights.
At this year’s Canness Film Festival, the distribution rights of “Suzume no Tojimari” were acquired by Crunchyroll from TOHO excluding Asia. The negotiation took place under the supervision of Crunchyroll’s Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira, TOHO’s Akihiro Takeda, and Wild Bunch’s International CEO Vincent Maraval.
“Suzume no Tojimari” is scheduled to debut on November 11, 2022, in Japan and the distribution will be starting across the major territories worldwide from the early 2023. The distribution rights according to each company are as follows:
- North America (Crunchyroll)
- Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Many Portions of Europe (Crunchyroll & Sony Pictures)
- French and German-speaking Europe (Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, and Wild Bunch)
- Worldwide (TOHO- except South Korea and India)
Synopsis of the film:
The coming-of-age story follows a 17-year-old young girl named Suzume who finds herself in a disaster-stricken Tokyo. Across the various locations of Tokyo, Doors begin to open when she turned the knob of a mysterious door and now she must prevent further disaster along with a young man. Can she connect her past to the present to close the doors?
About Crunchyroll:
Crunchyroll is the top anime streaming service in the world with an immense catalog of anime shows ranging from 90s to latest. It has also seen the box office success and also won numerous awards at international film festivals.
About CoMix Wave Films:
CoMix Wave Films is a Japanese animation studio which produces all Makoto Shinkai’s films. It currently engages in film productions, distribution, and package sales. Although the company has a few employees, they are highly skilled people.
About Wild Bunch:
Wild Bunch International is a world-renowned film sales company which does distribution for over 30 films per year. It not only invested in local films but also foreign films which have won countless awards like Spirited Away, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Wrestler, Titane, Shoplifters, and Happening.
About TOHO:
TOHO Company is a Japanese Entertainment studio which focuses on the development, production, and distribution of content for television, motion pictures, and theater. It was founded in 1932, and its subsidiaries include TOHO Cinemas, the highest grossing exhibition company in Japan.