Culver City, California (December 19, 2023) – Crunchyroll, the ultimate home for anime worldwide, announced today that it has acquired the theatrical rights for the new anime film GREAT PRETENDER razbliuto. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will bring the film to select theaters in the United States for a special two-day event on January 9 and 10.
GREAT PRETENDER razbliuto marks the first feature film in the popular GREAT PRETENDER anime series, which debuted to critical acclaim in 2020. This thrilling and entertaining film serves as a standalone story following Dorothy, the self-proclaimed genius con artist who targets other con artists, as she masterfully maneuvers her way through Asia, all the while facing an unexpected threat.
This story is once again directed by Hiro Kaburagi, who is also responsible for the character design, with animation production from the legendary WIT Studio (Attack on Titan Seasons 1-3 , Vinland Saga Season 1 ). The film is produced by Hitoshi Ito (MIRAI, Star Wars: Visions “The Ninth Jedi”) and script supervision by Ryota Kosawa (Always: Sunset on Third Street, Air Bound).
Official Film Synopsis:
It’s been three years since WIT Studio captivated the world with the dizzying tricks and ingenious scenarios that emerged from the “GREAT PRETENDER” series. Now, this all-new action-adventure film follows Dorothy, the self-proclaimed genius con artist who recruited the infamous Laurent Thierry to the life of crime. This time around, she has been defeated at her own game by the Shanghai Longu Bang and is thought to be dead, but she soon reemerges in a small seaside village. Pursued by the underworld of Taipei, she heads to Kyoto, but what will she find waiting for her there…?!
Participating Theaters:
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Cinemark Pflugerville 20 and XD (Austin, TX)
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Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD (Baltimore, MD)
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AMC Boston Common 19 (Boston, MA)
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AMC River East 21 (Chicago, IL)
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AMC Northpark 15 (Dallas, TX)
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AMC Westminster Promenade 24 & IMAX (Denver, CO)
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Consolidated Ward Theaters with TITAN LUXE (Honolulu, HI)
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Regal Edwards Houston Marq’E (Houston, TX)
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AMC Town Square 18 (Las Vegas, NV)
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AMC Burbank 16 (Los Angeles, CA)
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Regal LA Live (Los Angeles CA)
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AMC Sunset Place 24 (Miami, FL)
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AMC Garden State 16 (Newark, NJ)
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AMC Empire 25 (New York, NY)
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Harkins Theatres Arizona Mills 18 w/ IMAX (Phoenix, AZ)
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AMC DINE-IN Ontario Mills 30 (Riverside, CA)
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Cinemark Century Arden 14 and XD (Sacramento, CA)
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Cinemark Jordan Landing 24 and XD (Salt Lake City, UT)
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Santikos Entertainment Casa Blanca (San Antonio, TX)
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AMC Mission Valley 20 (San Diego, CA)
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Regal Stonestown Galleria (San Francisco, CA)
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Cinemark Century Great Mall 20 XD and ScreenX (San Jose, CA)
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AMC Orange 30 (Santa Ana, CA)
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Regal Meridian (Seattle, WA)
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AMC Tysons Corner 16 (McLean, CA)
About GREAT PRETENDER:
The GREAT PRETENDER follows the story of Makoto “Edamame” Edamura who has adopted a life of crime – pickpocketing and scamming others for a living. However, after swindling a seemingly clueless tourist, Laurent Thierry, Makoto discovers that he was the one tricked, and to make matters worse, that the police are now after him.
While making his escape, he runs into Thierry once again, who just so happens to be a fellow con man himself, and ends up leaving with him to Los Angeles. Attempting to defend his self-proclaimed title of “Japan’s Greatest Swindler,” Makoto challenges his rival to determine the better scammer. Accepting the competition, Laurent drops them off outside a huge mansion and claims that their target will be the biggest mafia boss on the West Coast.
Jumping from city to city, GREAT PRETENDER follows the endeavors of Makoto alongside the cunning Laurent and his colorful associates in the world of international high-stakes fraud. Soon, Makoto realizes that he got more than what he bargained for as his self-declared skills are continually put to the test.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.
Films distributed and marketed by Crunchyroll – domestically and internationally – have a proven track record of both box office and critical success. Not only have Crunchyroll films seen box office success, but have also been recognized with numerous awards accolades and been accepted and screened at international film festivals around the globe.
