You’re Next’ Set for U.S. Theatrical Release

Anime fans, mark your calendars. The latest installment in the My Hero Academia franchise is heading to North American movie theaters this fall. 

My Hero Academia: You’re Next, the fourth film in the series, is set to premiere stateside on Oct. 11, courtesy of distributor Toho International. The film will be shown in North American cinemas with both English subtitles and in a dubbed version. 

The latest big-screen adaptation of Kōhei Horikoshi’s wildly popular Japanese manga series, You’re Next continues the adventures of high school student and aspiring superhero Izuku Midoriya in a Japan that’s fallen into chaos. The film is directed by veteran animator Tensai Okamura from a script by prolific anime screenwriter Yōsuke Kuroda. 

The North American premiere date was revealed this past weekend during a “My Hero Academia Special Event” at the 2024 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, where fans were shown an exclusive look at the first 15 minutes of the film.

The North American distribution plan is another step forward by Toho International after its wildly successful release last year of Godzilla Minus One, which became the top-grossing Japanese live-action title in U.S. box office history with $56.4 million in ticket revenue. Toho also will release You’re Next at home in Japan on Aug. 2. 

Sony-owned anime label Funimation released the previous My Hero Academia installments — all to considerable success. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes earned $5.8 million in U.S. theaters in 2018, followed by My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising in 2020 with $13.3 million and My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission with $12.3 million in 2021. 

Global interest in Japanese anime has continued to surge in recent years. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020) remains the top-earning anime title of all time, with an estimated $507 million in global ticket sales.