Anime has long been relegated to home media releases in the West, with most films hitting American streaming services and DVD shelves rather than movie theaters. While some have received screenings at conventions, it is rare to see an anime film on the big screen. This changed after Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, which saw a great deal of success in theaters, grossing $2.5 million in its limited theatrical run. Since then, anime films have been released increasingly to American theaters.
Among those anime movies releases last year were entries in long-running anime franchises such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel II, KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson and One Piece: Stampede. Additionally, original productions such as Promare became smash hits on their own thanks to theatrical runs. These limited Western runs proved to the world that anime has an audience who will go to the theaters to see films, and with the American release of Weathering With You, it is possible that 2020 will continue the ongoing trend.
Weathering With You
Makoto Shinkai is one of the biggest names in anime at the present. His films have received praise from audiences and critics alike, with Your Name in particular becoming the highest-grossing anime film ever produced. Weathering With You had a lot to live up to, but audiences still turned up en mass to see how Shinkai could follow up his prior film's success.
Weathering With You premiered in Japan on July 19, 2019, but didn't hit American theaters until January 17, 2020. The film was screened a few months prior in order to be eligible for the Academy Awards, though it didn't receive a nomination. Regardless, Weathering With You drew in $7.55 million in its limited theatrical run, which is staggering considering it owes its success to word of mouth and Shinkai's reputation alone.
The Streaming vs. Theaters Conflict
While Weathering with You's American box office success proves that anime films do have theatrical appeal, an increasing number of major releases hitting streaming has some people casting doubt that anime theatrical productions will continue to expand.
Dragon Quest: Your Story is an intense anime film adaptation of the popular Dragon Quest game series. The film is now available on Netflix to stream after receiving no theatrical release. Netflix has distributed multiple anime films in the West, but due to the platform's model, these are rarely released in theaters as a result. Even Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, the newest entry in the Pokémon franchise, won't be hitting theaters, and will instead premiere on Netflix. Considering many previous Pokémon films have found success in theaters, the film's lack of theatrical run is noticeable.
The two Western companies that specialize in anime distribution are Funimation and GKIDS, which have seen a great deal of success over the years. While Netflix won't help bring anime to the big screen for American audiences, these two studios will only continue with this method of distribution. And 2020 is already looking big for them.
Successful Franchises
The next big theatrical anime release in the West will be My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. Following its 2019 release in Japanese theaters, the film is set for North America on February 26. This newest entry in the incredibly successful shonen anime series is something to be excited about, but it is hardly the most hyped anime of this season.
Fathom Events will be bringing Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna to theaters on March 25, shortly after the film premieres in Japan on February 21. The film, set in the same continuity as the original Digimon series, is set to be something of a grand finale for the Digimon franchise up until this point. It is also rumored that the long-awaited Yuri on Ice!!! prequel film, Ice Adolescence, could finally hit theaters in 2020 after it was delayed from its tentative 2019 release window. Funimation, who licenses Yuri on Ice!!! will likely give it a limited theatrical run.
When looking at the 2020 anime film calendar, though, two films stand out from all the rest. The first to release in Japan is Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 on June 27. This will be the long-delayed finale to the Evangelion franchise, commonly referred to as one of the greatest anime of all time. It's unknown when the film will release in America, but Funimation, who has licensed the prior Rebuild of Evangelion films, will no doubt distribute this one as well.
The other is Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal, the long-awaited adaptation of the Sailor Moon manga's fourth arc. The film will be a two-part event, with the first part being released on September 11. The second part's release date has yet to be announced. Sailor Moon Crystal is distributed through Viz Media, so this film may receive a Fathom Events limited theatrical run.
The Auteur Surprises
While huge franchises have an advantage at the box office due to their built-in audience, not all anime hits are part of them. Last year's biggest anime film, Promare, is an entirely original work that turned out to be great. Weathering With You already proved that such a movie could find a huge audience in 2020, but it will have competition in Japan that will, hopefully, come to the West.
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, an anime remake of a 2003 Japanese live-action film, itself based on a novel by the celebrated Japanese writer Seiko Tanabe, is set to premiere in Japan this year and might appeal to a more mature audience. August will see the release of Love Me, Love Me Not, an adaptation of the manga of the same name by Io Sakisaka. The manga is licensed in the west by Viz, and, therefore, might receive a limited Western release.
However, the biggest contender for the title of best original anime movie in 2020 is Studio Ghibli's How Do You Live? directed by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. The film's official release date has yet to be announced, but it's expected to premiere in 2020 before the Summer Olympics and could be Miyazaki and Ghibli's final film. Should GKIDS, who has licensed every prior Studio Ghibli film, distribute this newest film to theaters, it's sure to be a huge event for fans.
Of course, it isn't guaranteed that any of these will receive Western theatrical releases, and, if they do, that such runs will occur in 2020. Still, it is clear that there is an audience for anime films stateside, so limited runs of upcoming anime films like Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, and How Do You Live? would be a smart idea. Even if the biggest Japanese releases don't come this year, it is clear that the future is bright for anime in the West.