A24 and Happinet Phantom Studios will collaborate on the distribution of A24’s films in Japan, including Alex Garland’s Civil War, which is being released this week.
The two firms have already jointly released several titles in Japan, including Moonlight and the highly lucrative Midsommar. The news was reported in an exclusive article in Variety, which noted that A24 and Happinet would “build A24 brand awareness across the region, and deepen relationships with local talent and audiences off screen beyond film releases.”
In the article, Happinet’s president of production Keisuke Konishi was quoted as saying: “We are very much looking forward to seeing what A24, which has produced many creative works in the past, will produce in the future, and we are thrilled that we will be distributing all of their films in Japan.”
Earlier this year, A24 had made a deal with Germany’s Leonine Studios that resulted in the establishment of a joint studio arrangement in Germany and Austria.
Based in New York City, A24 was founded in 2012 as A24 Films, specializing in distribution. Among the films it distributed have been Spring Breakers, The Witch, and the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once. A24 also has a television division that has produced many programs for the small screen.
January of 2024 will see the premiere of the adult musical comedy series Hazbin Hotel, an animated project in association with Prime Video and Fox Entertainment’s Bento Box Entertainment
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Happinet had been established in 1991 after a merger of the Tosho toy corporation with Dairin and Seiko.
Three years later, it was acquired by Bandai, and in 1998, Happinet acquired Beam Entertainment and its adult label, Green Bunny. Happinet also entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with NuTech Digital in 2003.
Besides Civil War, among the upcoming releases from A24 will be Death of a Unicorn, A Different Man, Dream Scenario, Heretic, The Iron Claw, Love Lies Bleeding, Mother Mary, Wizards!, Y2K, and The Zone of Interest.
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