Japanese anime Look Back has landed a release on Prime Video after becoming a local sleeper hit, taking more than $13.1m (¥2bn) at the Japan box office since it opened on June 28.
The 58-minute film will be available to watch worldwide on Prime Video from November 7 and is set for a theatrical release in the UK and Ireland through K-Movie Entertainment on October 25.
It marks the first theatrical anime film streamed exclusively worldwide by Prime Video since 2021’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, according to the streamer.
Based on a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man), the story follows two young artists with very different personalities who team up to create a hit manga until tragedy strikes. The two leads are voiced by Yumi Kawai of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight title Desert Of Namibia and Mizuki Yoshida from Netflix series Alice In Borderland.
Produced by Studio Durian, it marks the theatrical directorial debut of Kiyokata Oshiyama, who previously helmed anime series Flip Flappers and worked as an animator on Studio Ghibli features The Boy And The Heron and The Wind Rises.
Despite an initial mid-sized release by Avex Pictures on just 120 screens, Look Back led the box office on its first two weekends. It has remained in cinemas and surpassed ¥2bn this month. It is the 15th-highest-grossing film released in Japan this year to date, and the highest-grossing anime film not based on a long-running franchise.
Look Back premiered at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June before opening in Japan. In the US, where it opened October 4 via Gkids, the film has earned $1.88m as of October 23. The film will screen in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s animation section next week.
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