Living abroad makes it harder to catch new Japanese movies — that’s the worst.
But if you’re in the U.S. (especially Los Angeles, which has many film festivals), there are still plenty of chances to see Japanese films on the big screen. In recent years GKIDS and other North American distributors have been bringing more Japanese titles to U.S. cinemas. This page lists the Japanese films scheduled to screen in U.S. theaters in 2026. I’ll update this post as new information becomes available.
Jan–Mar releases
(Screening periods vary by theater — check local listings.)
- Lupin the IIIrd the Movie: The Immortal Bloodline | 2025 release | North American theatrical release starting Jan 4-6, 2026 (GKIDS)
- Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz | 1997 release | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan | 2015 release | Premium show on Jan 12, 2026
- ALL YOU NEED IS KILL | 2026 release | North American theatrical release starting Jan 16, 2026 (GKIDS)
- KOKUHO | 2025 release | North American theatrical release starting Feb, 2026 (GKIDS)
- Scarlet | 2025 release | North American theatrical release starting Feb, 13 2026 (GKIDS)
- Fruits Basket -prelude- | 2022 release | 1 day playing on Feb 16, 2026
Apr–Jun releases
Jul–Sep releases
Oct–Dec releases
- Gozzila Minus Zero | 2026 release | starting at Nov 6, 2026. (GKIDS)
Japanese films rumored to receive a North American theatrical release
- ChaO（チャオ） — 2025 release — Winner of the Jury Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025. Set to screen at Animation is Film Festival 2025.
- Exit 8（8番出口） — 2025 release — Official selection of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Japanese films screened in U.S. theaters / festivals
For reference, below are the Japanese films (2012–2025) that MAY was able to see in U.S. theaters or at film festivals (mainly in Los Angeles). I selected only titles that were shown in the U.S. at around the same time as their Japanese releases — not revival screenings.
- Rurouni Kenshin（るろうに剣心） — Director: Keishi Ôtomo — 2012 · LA Eiga Fest
- Helter Skelter（ヘルタースケルター） — Director: Mika Ninagawa — 2012 · LA Eiga Fest
- Wolf Children（おおかみこどもの雨と雪 / Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki） — Director: Mamoru Hosoda — 2012 · film festival screening
- The Great Passage（舟を編む / Fune wo Amu） — Director: Yûya Ishii — 2013 · film festival screening
- Like Father, Like Son（そして父になる / Soshite Chichi ni Naru） — Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda — 2013 · AFI Fest
- Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno / The Legend Ends（るろうに剣心 京都大火編／伝説の最期編） — Director: Keishi Ôtomo — 2014 · LA Eiga Fest
- (喰女) — Director: Takashi Miike — 2014? · AFI Fest
- Sweet Bean (An)（あん） — Director: Naomi Kawase — 2015 · AFI Fest
- Our Little Sister（海街diary / Umimachi Diary） — Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda — 2015 · AFI Fest
- Your Name.（君の名は。） — Director: Makoto Shinkai — 2016? · theatrical
- In This Corner of the World（この世界の片隅に） — Director: Sunao Katabuchi — 2016? · theatrical
- Shin Godzilla（シン・ゴジラ） — Director: Shinji Higuchi — 2016? · theatrical
- One Cut of the Dead（カメラを止めるな） — Director: Shinichirô Ueda — 2017 · Japan Film Festival Los Angeles
- Mirai（未来のミライ） — Director: Mamoru Hosoda — 2019 · Animation Is Film Fest
- Weathering With You（天気の子） — Director: Makoto Shinkai — 2019 · theatrical
- Wife of a Spy（スパイの妻） — Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa — 2020? · theatrical
- Poupelle of Chimney Town（えんとつ町のプペル） — Original: Akihiro Nishino — 2021 · Animation festival screening
- Belle（竜とそばかすの姫 / Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime） — Director: Mamoru Hosoda — 2021? · theatrical
- Drive My Car（ドライブ・マイ・カー） — Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi — 2021 · theatrical
- THE FIRST SLAM DUNK（FIRST SLAM DUNK） — Creator: Takehiko Inoue — 2022? · theatrical
- ONI（ONI） — Director: Daisuke Tsutsumi — 2022 · Animation Is Film Fest
- No Evil Exists（悪は存在しない / Aku wa Sonzai Shinai） — Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi — 2023 · AFI Fest
- Perfect Days — Director: Wim Wenders — 2023 · AFI Fest
- Ryuichi Sakamoto | OPUS — Director: 空音央 (name shown in original) — 2023 · AFI Fest
- Monster（怪物 / Kaibutsu） — Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda — 2023 · North American premiere event
- Suzume（すずめの戸締まり） — Director: Makoto Shinkai — 2023 · theatrical (Crunchyroll distribution)
- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie（カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉） — Director: Shinichirō Watanabe — 2025 · theatrical
- Summer Wars（サマーウォーズ） — Director: Mamoru Hosoda — 2025 · theatrical
- 100 Meters（ひゃくえむ。） — Director: Kenji Iwaisawa — 2025 · theatrical
- Spirited Away（千と千尋の神隠し） — Director: Hayao Miyazaki — 2025· theatrical
- KOKUHO（国宝） — Director: Sang-Il Lee — 2025 · AFI Fest
- RENTAL FAMILY（レンタル・ファミリー） — Director: HIKARI — 2025 · AFI Fest
