This… this makes me happy… and not in that creepy obviously fake form, either!
Earlier today, Azoland Pictures announced that they will give the live-action Gintama flick a theatrical run in North America. The film will hit theaters across the United States and Canada starting January 19, 2018.
The screenings come as partnership with Well Go USA, who licensed the feature for North America. Well Go will release the live-action Gintama film on home video (which includes, DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD) on March 6, 2018.
Gintama opened in Japanese theaters on July 14. In its first six weeks, the movie managed to bring in 3.48 billion yen ($31,796,794.80 USD). It’s expected to become the highest-grossing live-action movie this summer.
The film opened in Australian and New Zealand theaters earlier this month, and has already been released in Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Theatrical screenings are currently planned for the following regions:
- United States
- Canada
- Germany
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Spain
- Australia
- New Zealand
The feature will also screen in several “Middle-South American Countries.” The movie’s Chinese release was the widest ever for a Japanese feature film, with over 8,000 screens showing the feature.
The Gintama film is based on Hideaki Sorachi’s manga of the same name. The feature will be helmed by Yūichi Fukuda (Hentai Kamen), who is also writing the script.
The confirmed cast includes:
- Gintoki Sakata: Shun Oguri
- Shinpachi Shimura: Masaki Suda
- Kagura: Kanna Hashimoto
- Tae Shimura: Masami Nagasawa
- Kotaro Katsura: Masaki Okada
- Gengai Hiraga: Tsuyoshi Muro
- Toshiro Hijikata: Yuuya Yagira
- Sougo Okita: Ryo Yoshizawa
- Isao Kondo: Kankurō Nakamura VI
- Nizō Okada: Hirofumi Arai
- Henpeita Takechi: Jiro Sato
- Matako Kijima: Nanao
- Tetsuya Murata: Ken Yasuda
- Tetsuko Murata: Akari Hayami
- Shinsuke Takasugi: Tsuyoshi Domoto
The Gintama manga kicked off in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump on December 8, 2003. The ongoing title currently spans 65 collected volumes. Several anime adaptations were produced, including four TV series, five OVAs, and three films.
Crunchyroll currently holds the domestic rights to the first Gintama anime, which they plan to offer on Blu-Ray. Viz Media currently holds the license for the Gintama manga.
A new season of Gintama premieres on October 1. The series will enter its “Silver Soul” arc on January 7.
Sources: Anime News Network
