Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group has entered into a licensing agreement with Japan’s Toho-Towa Group which will see the latter’s Towa Pictures subsidiary handle theatrical distribution of the Warner Bros slate of Hollywood features in Japan. The multi-year pact begins in 2026, kicking off with Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights.
The deal effectively means that Warner’s theatrical distribution apparatus in Japan will be dismantled with current team members who support marketing and distribution transitioning responsibilities to Toho-Towa over the next several months. The agreement is understood only to apply to the theatrical business in Japan with the local office maintaining marketing and distribution functions for streaming, live events and home entertainment.
The shift to a sub-distribution model in Japan, a market that has become more challenging for Hollywood to navigate over the past several years given the strength of homegrown product, is not dissimilar to operating models employed locally by studios like Paramount and Universal.
This approach is designed to allow WB to reallocate resources more efficiently, capitalize on local market partners and better position English-language content in a competitive theatrical marketplace.
WB has co-distributed with Toho before in Japan, though not in a contractual manner. Toho handles Japanese distribution for Legendary’s Monsterverse movies, working closely with WB’s distribution and marketing teams.
Warners has long been active in local production in Japan, and we understand marketing and distribution for the six titles on its upcoming 2026 and 2027 slate will live outside of the Toho-Towa agreement.
Said Warner Bros’ Jeff Goldstein, President of Global Distribution, “As Warner Bros continues to strengthen its global theatrical business, we look forward to entering this licensing agreement with Toho-Towa Group’s best in class teams, whose expertise in the Japanese market will complement the studio’s existing marketing and distribution operations around the world.”
Toho-Towa and Towa Pictures’ CEO & President, Toshi Yamasaki commented, “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with such a historic and iconic company. It is both an honor and a privilege to collaborate with an organization of this stature, whose legacy and achievements have set a benchmark in the industry. We look forward to working closely together to leverage our respective strengths and to create meaningful value for our customers, partners and communities.”
The deal was negotiated by Ted Lim on behalf of the Warner Bros Motion Picture Group and Toshi Yamasaki on behalf of Toho-Towa Group.
Warner Bros Discovery’s Japan entertainment businesses include its streaming platform (in partnership with U-Next), the Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo, anime production, consumer products, content licensing, home entertainment and a linear TV joint venture with J:COM.
