There’s a lot of work that goes into releasing a movie globally. Various companies are coordinating to license the film and making deals with different theater chains in several territories. At this point, most movie corporations understand how to release a motion picture worldwide, but it takes time. Given the various time zones and other scheduling factors, it’s nearly impossible to release a movie concurrently in most territories. Some films are released earlier in certain countries than others, while others may never be released in those countries. Even with that caveat, the month-long delay between Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc‘s Japanese opening and the United States’ release seems excessive.
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The Chainsaw Man film is set to release in Japan on September 19th. Meanwhile, the United States release date is October 24th. Admittedly, a month’s delay between Japanese and United States release dates is often the standard for high-profile anime releases, with some anime movies having even longer delays. The States won’t receive the Demon Slayer – The Movie: Infinity Castle until nearly two months after it opened in Japanese theaters, on September 12. MAPPA Studio’s President, Manabu Ohtsuka, and Vice President, Hiroya Hasegawa, recently chatted about the gap between the release dates for Chainsaw Man.
MAPPA Reveals Why United States Fans Need to Wait a Month
MAPPA Studios produced the Chainsaw Man anime, including the Reze Arc film. Ohtsuka and Hasewawa sat down with Anime News Network to discuss the upcoming movie, revealing the reason why fans from the United States need to wait a month after the Japanese opening to watch the motion picture.
The movie opens in Japan on September 19 before the U.S. release on October 29. Why is there a large gap in the release?
HASEGAWA: There’s always a problem of the footage getting leaked when it’s shown outside Japan.
OHTSUKA: We considered doing a complete simultaneous release, but one-and-a-half months we think is close enough.
Besides the usual logistics, Hasegawa and Ohtsuka discuss the concern that the film will get leaked if it is released outside of Japan at the same time. Japan has strict piracy laws, and many Japanese businessmen fear that leaked footage can damage a film’s potential at the box office. If a movie gets leaked before or during a film’s opening, more people may be less inclined to head to the theaters if they can watch it at home. Demon Slayer – The Movie: Infinity Castle suffered a major leak over the summer, leading the animation studio to take legal action.
Leaks are almost always unavoidable, as many hackers and thieves are capable of taking digital files and spreading them across the internet. While many people worldwide have no moral quandary about illegally accessing content, it makes sense for companies to combat hacking and leaks to the best of their abilities. Large businesses own most anime and movies, and the purpose of a business is to make a profit. If leaks are preventing people from spending money to consume their product, then companies have no choice but to take legal action. Given that more and more people would rather watch content in the comfort of their own homes, corporations are trying their best to incentivize fans to spend money and head to the theaters. The fun of watching anime films like Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc on the big screen is to experience it with other like-minded people.
Are the delays between releases dates too long, or are Ohtsuka and Hasewawa justified? Are you excited for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc? Comment below with your opinions!
H/T: Anime News Network
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