Crunchyroll acquires US rights for anime films Blue Lock, Haikyu!! and Overlord

Crunchyroll is set to bring three highly-anticipated anime films to theatres across North America. During CinemaCon on Tuesday, the Sony-owned anime streaming giant acquired the rights for Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi, and Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom. During its presentation at the Las Vegas convention, Crunchyroll unveiled the release dates for the first two films, along with a teaser trailer.
Mitchel Berger, senior vp global commerce, said, “Anime is red hot right now,” adding, “We don’t strive to be something to everyone. We want to be everything, to someone,” per Hollywood Reporter.
The first film of the beloved franchise, Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi, is slated to hit the big screens in North America on June 28. Both English subtitled and dubbed versions of the film will be released. Crunchyroll also acquired the rights for select theatres in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. However, the international release dates are yet to be set. You can check out the teaser trailer below:
During Tuesday’s presentation, Crunchyroll also set the North American release date for Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle as May 31. The anime film has been written and directed by Susumu Mitsunaka, based on a story by Haruichi Furudate. Based on the beloved anime Haikyuu!!, the upcoming film revolves around volleyball player Shoyo Hinata, who pursues his dreams of becoming a legendary sportsperson.
While the streaming giant also acquired rights for Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, a release date is yet to be determined. Similar to Blue Lock, it is also the first film in the franchise and follows the events after Season 4 of the anime. It is directed by Naoyuki Ito with character designs by Satoshi Tasaki, who is also the chief animation director.