The live-action Look Back film opened in Japan on September 11 and entered the Japanese box office chart at #5 in its opening weekend. It won the UNIMED Award at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, and GKIDS will release it in U.S., Canadian, U.K., and Irish theaters in 2026.
The live-action film of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga opened in Japan on September 11 and entered the Japanese box office chart at #5. The film is directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, who also edits and writes the screenplay. Natsuki Deguchi plays Fujino and Aju Makita plays Kyomoto, with Masaki Suda as editor Maeda. Kenshi Yonezu, Toko Miura, and Yoko Kuno contributed as special guest staff: Yonezu performs guitar under the Shark Kick Guitar moniker, Miura sings an insert song, and Kuno directs a rotoscoped animation sequence produced by Shinei Animation.
The film competed at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which ran September 2 to 12, and won the UNIMED Award from the student jury. It drew a standing ovation of more than 12 minutes after its September 7 screening. Kore-eda accepted the award at a ceremony during the festival. The film also had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 10 to 20.
GKIDS handles international distribution. The company released an English-subtitled trailer and posters in June, announced the Toronto premiere in July, and will release the film in theaters in 2026 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland. GKIDS also announced a 4K UHD Collector's Edition for Look Back on September 8.
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The Star Detective Precure! movie opened at #3 in Japan, selling 358,000 tickets and earning 446 million yen in its first three days, then 606,000 tickets and 746 million yen through September 23. Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu stayed at #1 in its ninth weekend, and Cosmic Princess Kaguya! returned at #6.
Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu stayed at #1 in its eighth weekend in Japan, selling 271,000 tickets and earning 427,295,700 yen from Friday to Sunday. Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising dropped from #3 to #4 in its third weekend. The live-action Look Back opened at #5, with Chiikawa now the biggest film in Japan this year and 23rd on the all-time ranking.
The live-action film of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga won the UNIMED Award from the student jury at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Director Hirokazu Kore-eda accepted the award at a ceremony during the festival, which ran September 2-12. The film opened in Japan on September 11. GKIDS will release it in theaters in 2026 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.
The live-action Look Back, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, received a standing ovation lasting more than 12 minutes after its screening at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Sep 7. The film, one of 21 competing for the Golden Lion, stars Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase, and Rokka Okada. It opens in Japanese theaters on Sep 11.
The official website for the live-action Look Back film released a new clip Friday showing Kyomoto and Fujino creating manga together. Hirokazu Kore-eda directs, edits, and writes the screenplay. Aju Makita plays Kyomoto, and Natsuki Deguchi plays Fujino. The film opens September 11 in Japan, with GKIDS releasing it in 2026 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.
The live-action Look Back film announced that musician Kenshi Yonezu, actress-singer Tōko Miura, and animator-director Yōko Kuno will contribute as special guest staff. Yonezu performs guitar under the Shark Kick Guitar moniker, Miura sings an insert song, and Kuno directs a rotoscoped animation sequence produced by Shinei Animation. The film opens September 11 in Japan.
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival will screen the live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga in competition. The festival runs September 2-12 in Venice Lido, Italy. The film opens in Japan on September 11. GKIDS will release it in North America, the U.K., and Ireland in 2026.
GKIDS announced that the Toronto International Film Festival will screen the North American premiere of the live-action film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga. TIFF runs September 10-20, with the schedule out August 11. The film opens September 11 in Japan. GKIDS will release it in 2026 in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.
The live-action film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga has revealed a new trailer, six additional cast members, and a September 11 opening date in Japan. Masaki Suda plays editor Maeda, with Kankurō Kudō, Kayo Noro, Ryō Ikeda, Miyu Sasaki, and Maho Yamada also joining. GKIDS will release the film in North America, the U.K., and Ireland in 2026.
GKIDS announced during its Anime Expo panel on Sunday several home video releases, including a 4K UHD Collector's Edition for Look Back on September 8, a 4K UHD Collector's Edition for the 4K remaster of Angel's Egg on September 22, and a Blu-ray Disc release for Hideaki Anno's live-action film Love & Pop on October 6.
Developer Elternity announced the horror adventure game NEVER LOOK BACK on June 20, 2026, with a trailer and a Steam store page. The game tasks players with descending an infinite office staircase while following rules given by a mysterious voice called The Architect. The central rule is to never look back, as a darkness gradually approaches from behind. Players hold a rubber duck that can be squeezed to calm anxiety, but the squeaking sound attracts the darkness, creating a risk-reward trade-off. The game features 30 types of anomalies, including reddish-black cubes, beach balls, and crustaceans carrying human-face-like objects, which can move objects, distort space, or camouflage as parts of the staircase. The environments include liminal space and dreamcore-style scenes such as white-tiled staircases, grasslands with giant alarm clocks, and bathroom-like spaces. NEVER LOOK BACK is scheduled for release on PC via Steam in November 2026, with Japanese display support. This is the first title from the two-person team at Elternity.
GKIDS released an English-subtitled trailer and posters for the live-action film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back one-shot manga. The film, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is in post-production and will open in Japan and in select international markets in 2026.