Sony Sets U.S. Release Date for Anime Feature ‘Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom’

Sony Pictures has unveiled that the anime feature Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, produced by the company’s specialty streamer Crunchyroll, will get a theatrical release in North America on Nov. 8. The film is a continuation of the popular anime series Overlord, which adapts the novels of Japanese author Kugane Maruyama. 

The Sacred Kingdom picks up where season 4 of the Overlord series left off. The saga famously tells the story of Momonga, a regular salary man who finds himself transported into his favorite video game. The film was animated by Japanese studio Madhouse and covers the arc also known as “Holy Kingdom.” 

Sony will release the film in Imax and premium large formats in Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub. The film will face off on the Nov. 8 weekend against Lionsgate’s holiday comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Focus Feature’s awards contender Conclave, and Vertical’s sci-fi thriller Elevation, starring Anthony Mackie. 

Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom was directed by Naoyuki Ito with script coordination by Yukie Sugawara. Satoshi Tasaki headed up the character design and chief animation direction, with illustrations by so-bin and music from Shuji Katayama.

Japanese anime has been hitting U.S. multiplexes with growing frequency as the industry’s global clout continues to rise. Sony and Crunchyroll released Blue Lock: Episode Nagi stateside on June 28 (it earned $1.8 million). And Japanese studio giant Toho is set to put out My Hero Academia: You’re Next in North America on Oct. 11. 

Crunchyroll, which Sony acquired in 2021, has enjoyed sizable domestic theatrical success in recent years, with 2022’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero grossing $38.1 million in North America and $86.5 million globally. A year earlier, the company put out Jujutsu Kaisen, which brought in $34.5 million domestically and $166.7 million worldwide.