Hot Spring Shark Attack – Watch the trailer for the new Japanese horror-comedy

Utopia has announced the official release of the acclaimed shark film Hot Spring Shark Attack. Utopia will bring the Hot Spring Shark Attack to select US cinemas and major streaming and cable platforms on July 11. The film premiered at the 2024 Tokyo International Shark Film Festival, where it took home the Audience Award, and was released in Japan and other international territories last year.

In Atsumi City, where construction of a huge tourist complex led by the mayor, Mankan, is underway, a series of incidents have occurred in which the people while bathing in onsen have suddenly disappeared. What’s more, the bodies of unidentified people who had been attacked by sharks in the sea were found.
The police chief, Tsuka, and marine biology doctor, Kose, who set out to investigate, discover the shocking truth that ferocious sharks that have been revived from ancient times are freely moving between the hot springs and attacking people…

The horror comedy marks the feature directorial debut of writer/director Morihito Inoue. The cast includes Takuya Fujimura (One Cut of the Dead), Daniel Aguilar (Shin Godzilla), Shôichirô Akaboshi, Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Kiyobumi Kaneko, and Mio Takaki.

Hot Spring Shark Attack will debut for special previews at various Alamo Drafthouse locations on Wednesday, July 9. The film will officially open theatrically for extended runs and special engagements Friday, July 11, including Los Angeles and New York City.

The same day, audiences across North America will be able to rent or own Hot Spring Shark Attack on Cable VOD and Digital HD, including Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, iNDEMAND and Vubiquity.

Ahead of the US rollout, Inoue shared, “Shark movies are popular in Japan as well, but the number of shark films produced here has not yet met the growing demand. My film was made domestically in Japan and received great acclaim, not only from regular shark movie enthusiasts but also from many viewers who were previously unfamiliar with the genre. I’m very excited to see how this work will be received outside of Japan..”

A list of screenings can be found here.