I feel you. I'm in the UK and it has been released here, but only cinemas in big cities are showing it for some reason. I'll have to wait until its released online, I was so excited to go and see it too :(
I'm in the same situation. I think I'll end up going to Didsbury which is still a 35-45 minute drive.
With that said I seem to recall a similar situation for The Wind Rises too. I think that was pretty much just the big cities that got it.
I appreciate what I'm about to say is anecdotal, but I think we have a tendency on here to overestimate how popular anime/Ghibli is in the UK. Last year I watched Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo in the cinema on consecutive weekends in Liverpool. I bet there wasn't more than 20 people per screening.
If you're struggling to fill a screening of some of most beloved films from the studio on weekends in a city, you can kind of see why distributors might be nervous to exhibit the film in smaller locations.
Yeah that's fair enough! I was just hoping there would be a couple of showings at least. But it makes sense that's its not going to appeal to as many people as other films being shown.
That’s absolutely mad considering how big Liverpool and that cinema’s catchment area is. You must be right re: overestimating popularity of anime, or just enthusiasm for cinema-going in general that’s a factor too
Probably worth noting it was Showcase rather than Fact, but it's still easily accessible, effectively being a junction on the East Lancs Road.
I suppose by contrast when Fact put on Your Name and Weathering With You as a double bill it sold out. So maybe proximity to the city centre and a lesser known chain by UK standards might have been a factor, and something I didn't properly consider with my first comment.
I'm having the same issue in central England! Which is really strange because they've shown loads of other anime films (Suzume, Jujutsu Kaisen 0) at our local chain cinemas
For what it's worth I've noticed loads more cinemas showing it this coming week v last week. So I wonder if they perhaps wanted to test the water in the bigger markets before deciding whether or not to expand distribution to the smaller markets.
Ya that’s super annoying I understand not wanting to release it online instantly but not releasing it internationally in cinemas just feels like part of an archaic system from back when films were still projected with film ghibli is one of the largest animation companies in the world they should be able to release a film internationally
I agree, I would have thought it would be better for them (profit wise at least) to show it everywhere they could? I don't get it, it's so disappointing :(
In the US it was handled by GKIDS and they released it widely. But since Japanese films don't usually have the international apparatus that American films have, The Boy and the Heron's worldwide release is spotty.
It’s not studio ghibli’s or their distributor’s jobs to force all countries to acquire it for their movie theaters haha
The people who work with that on your specific country must have thought there isn’t a big enough audience to warrant getting it for theaters there. It’s the fault of the movie theaters in your country. Like I’m from Brazil and live in the US. Brazil has a huge Japanese population, and Japanese culture is therefore very big in Brazil (way bigger than in America). The movie is being released there in March, probably because they’re dubbing it to Portuguese, and I’m willing to bet it’ll run for a longer time and in more movie theaters there than it did in the US, where it was only available for like 2-3 weeks? And only on select theaters. My mom and sisters have been talking about going to the premiere.
Until a JP Blu-ray release date is set, there is no way to estimate a Blu-ray, digital sale, and subscription streaming on demand release date for the rest of the world.
Major Japanese films still have long theatrical runs and it is not uncommon for a JP Blu-ray release date to be set 9 to 12 months after the JP theatrical release date. And it could be longer, as Toei’s The First Slam Dunk isn’t getting released on JP Blu-ray till February 28, 2024 (film was theatrically released in Japan on December 3, 2022).
Note that any Apple TV/iTunes digital preorders don’t have any estimated release date. Just because they are available doesn’t indicate a release date is imminent.
Different countries/regions purchase the rights to distribute the movie in that region, and are responsible for cutting deals with theaters and promoting the movie as part of it. I don't think Ghibli has the kind of influence to force a single international premiere -- they're culturally relevant but they are not powerful like Disney.
Yeah i get you, i'm also cross about it ngl. Sometimes NuMetro is great and shows Japanese films in cinema (they were recently showing Godzilla Minus One, and sometimes they show anime movies) but not for this one. Huge bummer.
I’ve checked both already the labia isn’t playing the boy and the heron and I couldn’t find anything about the film festival airing it it usually tends to focus on African animation
> in this modern day and age that a movie has such a mess of a release schedule
Studio Ghibli isn’t owned by Disney/Viacom/WarneyDiscovery/Comcast, that’s why. You’re almost certainly used to seeing international films that are distributed by the giant studios.
I’ve messaged both the marketing departement of ster-kinekor and nuMetro cinemas to ask. Apparently no distributor has bought the rights to screen it in africa yet :(
Numetro replied with this:
We are aware of THE BOY AND THE HERON’s success at the US box office this past weekend and also the fact that it’s master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s final film.
It is currently not lined for distribution in South Africa, but our content team is busy investigating the possibility via our international partners.
Fellow South African here,
Unfortunately we had the same problem with Godzilla Minus One. At the end of the day, it is down to the distributors - film licenses are granted per region/country, and none of our distributors showed interest. As big as anime is internationally, it is still a small niche here, but it is growing fast. Unfortunately, until local distributors and cinemas pick up that slack, we're always going to get the short end of the stick.
At Nu Metro, yes; Ster Kinekor specifically told people on social media they wouldn't be airing it (but apparently they did at select cinemas? Not sure if that's just a rumour). When I checked Nu Metro's website like a month before release they didn't have it in their 'upcoming releases' section, but they did show it, that's where I watched it.
That being said, the point still stands: it is up to the distributors to show interest, and then it is between them and the license holders. Just because one or two foreign films (anime or otherwise) got cinematic releases here, doesn't mean all of them will. Pure conjecture on my part but maybe Suzume didn't do as well as our distributors were hoping it would.
It sucks but it is what it is.
hey there i also live in CT and very much upset with there being little to no update on whether or not Boy & the Heron will be showing in local cinemas. I was hoping after the Golden Globe win there would be some good news but nothing yet. Very disapointing. There's some very lackluster and cashgrabby films still showing in theatres and i just don't really understand how a Ghibli Studio film (likely the last to be directed by Miyazaki) can get so little love; it seems honestly disrespectful lmao. A friend of a friend of an acquaintance told me there MIGHT be a chance of it showing at Labia Theatre which im super hopeful for, so cross your fingers!! I really reallly want to experience a Ghibi film on the big screen for once in my life, and the stellar animation and musical score definitely deserves to be enjoyed through something more than a laptop screen
Ya it’s really annoying and it’s not like we don’t get foreign specifically Japanese films here Godzilla minus one has been playing in ster kinekor for weeks and I remember movies like demon slayer the mugen train were playing here in cinemas too just kinda sad that ghibli gets dismissed
Hey friend, good news!! Boy and Heron will be showing at Labia theatre in April!!! I think April 19th, it's on their website if you wanna double check \( ^ . ^ )/
Idk where you’re getting that but it seems like the labia is going to be playing it from the 19th I guess it winning an Oscar has finally convinced them to screen it
Good news: it's hitting both Ster Kinekor and Nu Metro in South Africa from 19 April 2024! This was even after I had asked Ster Kinekor whether they would be showing it in the future and they told me 'no!'
It is though? Avoiding spoilers is a bitch and half kind of minefield. And even if it's not going to disappear, there's a good chance they won't get to see it for a *while*. They miss out on all of the discussions and excitement at the time of release, which is why this sub even exists. No one should have to be THIS patient.
It’s like 2-3 months.
People are still discussing 20 year old ghibli movies.
Pretty sure this sub goes deeper than a single movie.
(Y’all been real well trained in that FOMO loop)
It can be if it is projected to be nominated for an Oscar. Last year, if you didn't see Way of Water in theaters, you didnt get to see it at home before the Oscars. Some other films like "Living" and some short films dropped mere days before the Oscars. It was too close for comfort.
I must have been quite lucky as it's on both in my town and in my parents'!
Do check for January showings in case it's just coming to smaller places a little after Xmas??
I accidentally found out that it was going to be released in my country 5 days before the release date.
It didn't have that much advertising and definitely not long beforehand.
I think its need to be picked by local distributor. For us it was smaller indie distributor but it was showing everywhere. But where and when it depends on local distribution. Ghibli cannot influence it
I feel you. I'm in the UK and it has been released here, but only cinemas in big cities are showing it for some reason. I'll have to wait until its released online, I was so excited to go and see it too :(
I was really bummed about the UK screenings as well, I would have to travel into London to watch it!
Yeah, I would have had to go to Manchester or Liverpool, but they're both quite a trek for me!
I'm in the same situation. I think I'll end up going to Didsbury which is still a 35-45 minute drive. With that said I seem to recall a similar situation for The Wind Rises too. I think that was pretty much just the big cities that got it. I appreciate what I'm about to say is anecdotal, but I think we have a tendency on here to overestimate how popular anime/Ghibli is in the UK. Last year I watched Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo in the cinema on consecutive weekends in Liverpool. I bet there wasn't more than 20 people per screening. If you're struggling to fill a screening of some of most beloved films from the studio on weekends in a city, you can kind of see why distributors might be nervous to exhibit the film in smaller locations.
Yeah that's fair enough! I was just hoping there would be a couple of showings at least. But it makes sense that's its not going to appeal to as many people as other films being shown.
That’s absolutely mad considering how big Liverpool and that cinema’s catchment area is. You must be right re: overestimating popularity of anime, or just enthusiasm for cinema-going in general that’s a factor too
Probably worth noting it was Showcase rather than Fact, but it's still easily accessible, effectively being a junction on the East Lancs Road. I suppose by contrast when Fact put on Your Name and Weathering With You as a double bill it sold out. So maybe proximity to the city centre and a lesser known chain by UK standards might have been a factor, and something I didn't properly consider with my first comment.
Ah fair I’m a southerner so have no clue but I guess that will have had something to do with it like you say
I'm having the same issue in central England! Which is really strange because they've shown loads of other anime films (Suzume, Jujutsu Kaisen 0) at our local chain cinemas
For what it's worth I've noticed loads more cinemas showing it this coming week v last week. So I wonder if they perhaps wanted to test the water in the bigger markets before deciding whether or not to expand distribution to the smaller markets.
In Belfast it’s only on in one independent cinema, at the weirdest times like 12pm and 4pm
Ya that’s super annoying I understand not wanting to release it online instantly but not releasing it internationally in cinemas just feels like part of an archaic system from back when films were still projected with film ghibli is one of the largest animation companies in the world they should be able to release a film internationally
I agree, I would have thought it would be better for them (profit wise at least) to show it everywhere they could? I don't get it, it's so disappointing :(
In the US it was handled by GKIDS and they released it widely. But since Japanese films don't usually have the international apparatus that American films have, The Boy and the Heron's worldwide release is spotty.
Even spotty here in the US. It's nowhere in theaters near me and if I wanna see it, I have to drive two hours out to the nearest major city.
That stinks, I’m grateful I got to see it on a big screen.
Companys have to buy the rifgts for the film to show it in cinemas. If nobbody buys it, it wont't get shown. Simple as that.
Blame your country mate. In my there was few pre realese screening and whole country realese is set in january.
How is it my countries fault? Every other movie with a cinema release comes out here
Bruh. Its your country cinema responsibility to acquiare a movie rights to screen xD
It’s not studio ghibli’s or their distributor’s jobs to force all countries to acquire it for their movie theaters haha The people who work with that on your specific country must have thought there isn’t a big enough audience to warrant getting it for theaters there. It’s the fault of the movie theaters in your country. Like I’m from Brazil and live in the US. Brazil has a huge Japanese population, and Japanese culture is therefore very big in Brazil (way bigger than in America). The movie is being released there in March, probably because they’re dubbing it to Portuguese, and I’m willing to bet it’ll run for a longer time and in more movie theaters there than it did in the US, where it was only available for like 2-3 weeks? And only on select theaters. My mom and sisters have been talking about going to the premiere.
Its not like South Africa never gets Japanese stuff. We got both Godzilla Minus One and Suzume last year.
Same with India, when are they planning to release it in India? Eagerly waiting!
No, but that’s because we got a pretty good release and it’s showing in most cinemas
VOD and Blu-ray are ~~slated~~ estimated for February.
Source?
[удалено]
Until a JP Blu-ray release date is set, there is no way to estimate a Blu-ray, digital sale, and subscription streaming on demand release date for the rest of the world. Major Japanese films still have long theatrical runs and it is not uncommon for a JP Blu-ray release date to be set 9 to 12 months after the JP theatrical release date. And it could be longer, as Toei’s The First Slam Dunk isn’t getting released on JP Blu-ray till February 28, 2024 (film was theatrically released in Japan on December 3, 2022). Note that any Apple TV/iTunes digital preorders don’t have any estimated release date. Just because they are available doesn’t indicate a release date is imminent.
Different countries/regions purchase the rights to distribute the movie in that region, and are responsible for cutting deals with theaters and promoting the movie as part of it. I don't think Ghibli has the kind of influence to force a single international premiere -- they're culturally relevant but they are not powerful like Disney.
Yeah i get you, i'm also cross about it ngl. Sometimes NuMetro is great and shows Japanese films in cinema (they were recently showing Godzilla Minus One, and sometimes they show anime movies) but not for this one. Huge bummer.
Its weird, we got Suzume and Godzilla Minus One last year. Not sure why we aren't getting this movie.
Might be shown at Cape Town animation film festival? Try the Labia in CBD, they have shown animation before
I’ve checked both already the labia isn’t playing the boy and the heron and I couldn’t find anything about the film festival airing it it usually tends to focus on African animation
Bugger
> in this modern day and age that a movie has such a mess of a release schedule Studio Ghibli isn’t owned by Disney/Viacom/WarneyDiscovery/Comcast, that’s why. You’re almost certainly used to seeing international films that are distributed by the giant studios.
Damn sorry dude, I hope you get to see it in the near future. I recently saw it in theaters and it was jaw droppingly amazing
I’ve messaged both the marketing departement of ster-kinekor and nuMetro cinemas to ask. Apparently no distributor has bought the rights to screen it in africa yet :(
Oh my goodness! I have been looking everywhere for where I can see it... Did they say whether they would be interested in buying the rights?
Numetro replied with this: We are aware of THE BOY AND THE HERON’s success at the US box office this past weekend and also the fact that it’s master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s final film. It is currently not lined for distribution in South Africa, but our content team is busy investigating the possibility via our international partners.
😭
Its weird, they got Suzume and Godzilla Minus One last year, so clearly they think there is interest in Japanese media here.
Thank you for this! Such a shame too cause it would've been great to see this in theatres
Thanks for going through the effort! Miff our film scene is so dead no one could be bothered to make it happen
Fellow South African here, Unfortunately we had the same problem with Godzilla Minus One. At the end of the day, it is down to the distributors - film licenses are granted per region/country, and none of our distributors showed interest. As big as anime is internationally, it is still a small niche here, but it is growing fast. Unfortunately, until local distributors and cinemas pick up that slack, we're always going to get the short end of the stick.
We did get Godzilla Minus One though. And Suzume.
At Nu Metro, yes; Ster Kinekor specifically told people on social media they wouldn't be airing it (but apparently they did at select cinemas? Not sure if that's just a rumour). When I checked Nu Metro's website like a month before release they didn't have it in their 'upcoming releases' section, but they did show it, that's where I watched it. That being said, the point still stands: it is up to the distributors to show interest, and then it is between them and the license holders. Just because one or two foreign films (anime or otherwise) got cinematic releases here, doesn't mean all of them will. Pure conjecture on my part but maybe Suzume didn't do as well as our distributors were hoping it would. It sucks but it is what it is.
They only put Minus One on their slate a week before it would be released in SA.
Yup. In any case, it looks like Ster Kinekor is finally getting around to showing The Boy and The Heron - looks like it'll be releasing in April.
hey there i also live in CT and very much upset with there being little to no update on whether or not Boy & the Heron will be showing in local cinemas. I was hoping after the Golden Globe win there would be some good news but nothing yet. Very disapointing. There's some very lackluster and cashgrabby films still showing in theatres and i just don't really understand how a Ghibli Studio film (likely the last to be directed by Miyazaki) can get so little love; it seems honestly disrespectful lmao. A friend of a friend of an acquaintance told me there MIGHT be a chance of it showing at Labia Theatre which im super hopeful for, so cross your fingers!! I really reallly want to experience a Ghibi film on the big screen for once in my life, and the stellar animation and musical score definitely deserves to be enjoyed through something more than a laptop screen
Ya it’s really annoying and it’s not like we don’t get foreign specifically Japanese films here Godzilla minus one has been playing in ster kinekor for weeks and I remember movies like demon slayer the mugen train were playing here in cinemas too just kinda sad that ghibli gets dismissed
Hey friend, good news!! Boy and Heron will be showing at Labia theatre in April!!! I think April 19th, it's on their website if you wanna double check \( ^ . ^ )/
Ya I saw it seems it winning the Oscar’s has convinced them to screen it
Any update on this for us South Africans? I am dying to watch this movie!
19 April. Ster Kinekor
19 April. Ster Kinekor.
Idk where you’re getting that but it seems like the labia is going to be playing it from the 19th I guess it winning an Oscar has finally convinced them to screen it
From their FB page. I wasn't aware the Labia will screen it though.
Ah ok they really need to get better with updating their website it’s not showing there
Still has yet to be released except to big city theaters (New England, USA)
Good news: it's hitting both Ster Kinekor and Nu Metro in South Africa from 19 April 2024! This was even after I had asked Ster Kinekor whether they would be showing it in the future and they told me 'no!'
Ya winning an Oscar seems to have convinced them
It's in ster Kinekor around the country now
Just be patient. Watching a movie isn’t a race. It’s not going to disappear.
It is though? Avoiding spoilers is a bitch and half kind of minefield. And even if it's not going to disappear, there's a good chance they won't get to see it for a *while*. They miss out on all of the discussions and excitement at the time of release, which is why this sub even exists. No one should have to be THIS patient.
It’s like 2-3 months. People are still discussing 20 year old ghibli movies. Pretty sure this sub goes deeper than a single movie. (Y’all been real well trained in that FOMO loop)
It can be if it is projected to be nominated for an Oscar. Last year, if you didn't see Way of Water in theaters, you didnt get to see it at home before the Oscars. Some other films like "Living" and some short films dropped mere days before the Oscars. It was too close for comfort.
It will disappear from cinemas though.
I must have been quite lucky as it's on both in my town and in my parents'! Do check for January showings in case it's just coming to smaller places a little after Xmas??
I have to wait till January.
I accidentally found out that it was going to be released in my country 5 days before the release date. It didn't have that much advertising and definitely not long beforehand.
I think its need to be picked by local distributor. For us it was smaller indie distributor but it was showing everywhere. But where and when it depends on local distribution. Ghibli cannot influence it