In a world different from ours, Pokemon Coco might have been released on time in Japan this summer, but that dream was crushed for us when the pandemic made itself unavoidable. Japan was forced to push back the release of Pokemon‘s next movie from its July 13 premiere, and fans have heard little about the movie since then. But as it turns out, Pokemon Coco will check in on fans this week with a major update.
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The news comes from overseas as the Japanese variety show Oha Sota teased the reveal. The show promises to share a major announcement about Pokemon Coco on July 31. At this time, the show hasn’t given any hints as to what the announcement is about, but fans have their own good guesses.
Looking at the evidence, fans are thinking Japan is ready to share a brand-new release date for Pokemon Coco. The country opened select theaters earlier this month to show old films in a socially distanced setting. While COVID-19 cases continue to crop up in Japan, they have been deemed manageable by authorities. This means Pokemon Coco could conceivably have a new release date in mind for this fall.
Others are more optimistic about their guesses. Some have wondered if the movie will air on demand through streaming services like Netflix. This would be difficult since The Pokemon Company has never done such a thing before. While the company could get such tech and deals in place, Pokemon Coco would lose lots of money if it makes no box office pull. And with streaming still fairly fringe in Japan, there is good reason to doubt any plan that suggests Pokemon Coco will skip theaters entirely for VOD.
What do you think about this upcoming update? Do you think Pokemon Coco will still debut this year? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
