Japanese films, Q2 2026: the quarter in review
Editors · 2026-10-06
Japanese films made their mark at Cannes in the second quarter of 2026. A film by Ryusuke Hamaguchi won Best Actress, and new works by Hirokazu Kore-eda and Kiyoshi Kurosawa premiered at Cannes before opening in theaters. Among live-action films, an action film based on a popular manga topped the box office. Box office figures are as of the dates reported.
All of a Sudden — Best Actress at Cannes
Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Japan–France–Germany–Belgium co-production loosely adapts the exchange of letters of the same name between philosopher Makiko Miyano and cultural anthropologist Maho Isono. It depicts the encounter between the director of a care home outside Paris and a Japanese theater director with terminal cancer.
At the 79th Cannes Film Festival, its leads Tao Okamoto and Virginie Efira shared the Best Actress award in the Competition section. It opened in Japan on June 19.
All of a SuddenView title details →Sheep in the Box — Hirokazu Kore-eda's Cannes competition entry
Released on May 29. In the near future, a couple who have lost their son welcome a humanoid that looks exactly like him into their home as their son. Hirokazu Kore-eda conceived, wrote and directed it; the title comes from the "sheep in the box" in The Little Prince.
Haruka Ayase and Daigo of the comedy duo Chidori, in his first lead film role, play the couple. It was selected for the Competition section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival and opened in Korea on June 10.
Sheep in the BoxView title details →The Samurai and the Prisoner — Kiyoshi Kurosawa's biggest hit
Released on June 19. In 1578, Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki), under siege at Arioka Castle after rebelling against Oda Nobunaga, turns for help to the strategist Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda), whom he holds in a dungeon, when strange incidents break out inside the castle. It is based on Honobu Yonezawa's Naoki Prize-winning novel and is Kurosawa's first period film.
It premiered in the Cannes Premiere section of the Cannes Film Festival, and by July 20 it had grossed over ¥1 billion, Kurosawa's highest-grossing film.
The Samurai and the PrisonerView title details →Sakamoto Days — the top live-action film of Q2
This live-action action film, based on the popular manga of the same name, opened on April 29. Directed by Yuichi Fukuda and starring Ren Meguro, it grossed ¥2.81 billion with 2.03 million admissions, the highest of any Japanese live-action film released in the quarter.
Sakamoto DaysView title details →BURN — a girl who ends up in Kabukicho
Released on April 10, it follows a girl who struggles to express her feelings and who runs away from strict parents devoted to a cult, ending up in the "Toyoko" square of Shinjuku's Kabukicho. Makoto Nagahisa wrote and directed it. It is Nana Mori's first solo lead film role, and it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
BURNView title details →Tokyo Burst: Crime City — the first overseas spin-off of The Roundup
Released on May 29, this Japan–Korea co-production is an original Japanese story set in the world of Korea's The Roundup series. In Shinjuku's Kabukicho in 2015, rookie detective Aiba (Koshi Mizukami) teams up with Choi Si-woo (Yunho of TVXQ), a detective sent from Korea, to hunt an internationally wanted fugitive. Eiji Uchida directed; Ma Dong-seok does not appear and took part only as an associate producer.
Tokyo Burst: Crime CityView title details →