Neon announced today that it will be releasing its highly acclaimed Japanese thriller Exit 8 in theaters nationwide on April 10, 2026. Directed by celebrated up-and-coming filmmaker Genki Kawarmura, and based on the hugely popular video game of the same name, the film world-premiered in the midnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival where it received an 8 minute standing ovation. Subsequently it created much excitement when it screened at several top tier international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sitges Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival. Right now, it is playing at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Exit 8 has received excellent reviews, currently ranking at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was a major hit in its native Japan, making approximately $27M USD upon its release last fall.
Genki Kawamura has produced numerous films including Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name and Mirai, Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle and Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s Monster. He won the Best Director Award for his directorial debut A Hundred Flowers (2022) at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival. He also wrote the 2012 worldwide bestseller If Cats Disappeared From The World which sold over 2 million copies in 32 countries. Exit 8 is the second film he’s directed.
Based on the global hit eponymous video game created by Kotake Create, the movie follows a man (Kazunari Ninomiya) trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway as he sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?
The film stars Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase and Nana Komatsu. It is written by Genki Kawarmura and Kentaro Hirase. The producers are Yuto Sakata, Kenji Yamada, Akita Yamamoto, and Taichi Ito.
Last week, NEON received 18 Oscar nominations as part of the 98th Academy Awards, the second most for any motion picture studio. Building on this momentum, NEON’s 2026 slate of recent and upcoming releases include Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco currently in release, Oliver Laxe’s Sirat releasing February 6, Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, releasing February 13; Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, releasing February 20; Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers; Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, which is set to open SXSW this year; and Damian McCarthy’s Hokum starring Adam Scott.
