News: Vue Lumière to release ‘Kokuho’ in UK & Irish cinemas this April

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From Vue Lumière, Japan’s all-time highest-grossing live-action – Kokuho – will be released in UK & Irish cinemas on 3rd April 2026. Here’s what they had to say:

Vue Lumiere is delighted to announce the UK and Ireland release of Kokuho, which will come to cinemas nationwide on 3 April 2026.

Set across five decades, this epic tale of friendship, rivalry, scandal and success plays out against the rich tradition of kabuki theatre.

Following its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Kokuho, directed by Lee Sang-il and written by Satoko Okudera, is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida.

Having grossed $125 million in Japan to date, Kokuho is now the all-time highest-grossing Japanese live-action film in Japan. Selected as the Japanese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist, the film is nominated for Best Make-up and Hairstyling.

Synopsis: Nagasaki, 1964: Following the death of his yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – and one will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of kabuki.