Author: Newsroom
NEW YORK (October 30, 2025) – Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor GKIDS has released today a new trailer for KOKUHO ahead of special one-week-only theatrical engagements for the film in New York and Los Angeles. The film is set to play at the AMC Universal CityWalk Hollywood in Los Angeles on November 14, 2025 and Angelika Film Center in New York City on November 21, 2025, with a nationwide release to come. Tickets for the November special engagement screenings are on sale now.
Previously announced as Japan’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards, the smash-hit live action feature is directed by Sang-il Lee (Pachinko Season 2, Hula Girls, Rage), and stars Ryo Yoshizawa (Kingdom), Ryusei Yokohama (Your Eyes Tell), and Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai). The film marks a breakthrough performance for lead actor Ryo Yoshizawa, who trained 18 months in the art and history of Kabuki theater, to embody the role of Kikuo, an actor pursuing greatness at all costs, in a story of glory and heartbreak that spans decades.
Upon its domestic release in Japan in June, KOKUHO has become a box office phenomenon, grossing over $104 million (10.9 million admissions) as of September 28th, marking the film as the second-highest grossing Japanese live-action film of all time.
KOKUHO held its world debut at Cannes in Directors’ Fortnight and subsequently played as an official selection at the Shanghai International Film Festival, followed by its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Los Angeles debut at AFI Fest. In November, Director Sang-il Lee will receive the Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, which recognizes filmmakers who will guide the industry into the future.
Synopsis
Nagasaki, 1964. After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, Kikuo decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. Across decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – from acting school to the grandest stages – amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals, as each pushes to become the greatest living Kabuki master.
From acclaimed director Lee Sang-il (Pachinko), KOKUHO (meaning “national treasure”) is a film of awe-inspiring scope and sumptuous beauty, and a monument to the artists who would sacrifice everything in the pursuit of the ultimate performance.