EXCLUSIVE: Lee Sang-il’s Japanese drama Kokuho has been picked up by distributors across Asia and Europe following its premiere in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last month.
Tokyo-based Aniplex Inc. has sold the film, set in the world of kabuki, to South Korea (Media Castle), Hong Kong (Edko) and Taiwan (Filmware). Paris-based Pyramide International, which handles sales outside Asia, has closed deals for Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (September Films), and Switzerland (Trigon). Pyramide is also set to release in France on November 5.
The story centres on the son of a yakuza boss, played by Ryo Yoshizawa, who is taken under the wing of a renowned kabuki actor, played by Ken Watanabe, following the death of his father. The young man dedicates his life to the art of kabuki – a classical form of Japanese theatre known for its costumes and elaborate makeup – alongside the biological son (Ryusei Yokohama) of the veteran actor.
The three-hour film spans 50 years as the two sons experience glory, downfall, scandal and triumph.
Toho released the feature in Japan on June 6, opening with $2.4m (¥346m) behind Hollywood tentpoles Lilo And Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
On its second weekend, it moved up to second place – only behind Lilo And Stitch – with $3.1m (¥451m), up 143% on the previous weekend. After 10 days, Kokuho has earned $8.26m (¥1.19bn) from 850,000 admissions.
The story is adapted from Shuichi Yoshida’s 2017 novel of the same name with a screenplay written by Satoko Okudera, known for her work on Mamoru Hosoda’s animated hits Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children.
Korean-Japanese filmmaker Lee previously directed Yoshida novel Villain, which won five awards from the Japan Academy following its release in 2010. He is also known for The Wandering Moon, which starred Yokohama and premiered at Jeonju in 2022; and has also directed episodes of Apple TV+ series Packinko.
After its debut in Cannes, Kokuho is next set set to screen at Shanghai International Film Festival tomorrow (June 17).
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