Japanese box office hit ‘Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram’ set for UK-Ireland release

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights to Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram, the year’s biggest film at the Japan box office to date, in a deal with animation studio TMS Entertainment.

The animated crime caper will receive a theatrical release on September 27, marking the film time that a feature in the hugely successful Detective Conan franchise has opened in UK and Irish cinemas.

The film was released in Japan on April 12 and spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the box office, earning $97.5m from more than 10.8 million admissions. This comfortably places it as the biggest release in Japan this year and is the ninth highest grossing Japanese film locally of all time.

The anime has also been released in South Korea, taking $4.8m since its release on July 17, as well as France, Spain, the UAE and Vietnam. It is set to open theatrically in Australia and New Zealand on August 29 through Crunchyroll, in collaboration with Song Pictures Releasing International.

The Million Dollar Pentagram marks is the 27th instalment of the franchise, known as Case Closed in North America and some other territories, and is the latest story set in the world of Conan Edogawa, the child-sized detective created by manga author Gosho Aoyama in 1994. The films, released annually since 1997, are animated by TMS Entertainment and distributed by Toho. There is also an ongoing manga, with more than 270 million copies in print, and TV anime series that has surpassed 1,100 episodes in over 40 countries.

Toho announced in late April that the Conan film series had cumulatively surpassed 100 million admissions. Only two other franchises have reached that milestone in Japan: Godzilla and Doraemon, of which the latter is also an annual anime franchise based on a long-running manga.

Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram is billed as a mystery adventure that promises to uncover the truth behind Kid the Phantom Thief, a fan-favourite rival of Detective Conan. Directed by Chika Nagaoka, it is written by Takahiro Okura with a voice cast led by Minami Takayama as Conan, Wakana Yamazaki as Ran Mori, Rikiya Koyama as Kogoro Mori, Kappei Yamaguchi as Kid the Phantom Thief and Ryo Horikawa as Heiji Hattori.

“To introduce the Detective Conan franchise to UK and Ireland cinemas is a significant step for Trinity CineAsia, it marks the company’s first time releasing a distinctive and well-loved anime from Japan on the big screen,” said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia. He added that the acquisition was part of the company’s ambition to “bring a greater variety of films from Asia to the big screen”.

Recent acquisitions by Trinity CineAsia include 2024 Cannes Un Certain Regard Award-winner Black Dog, Hong Kong action blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, crime epic The Goldfinger, and leading Chinese fantasy film Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms.

Source：  MICHAEL ROSSER