When is the Blue Lock live-action movie coming out? Release dates by country

The biggest anime fans are all counting down to the Blue Lock movie release date.

Known for its unique take on competitive soccer, the hit series has gotten its first live-action adaptation, and it isn’t staying confined to Japan.

Here is a breakdown of the Blue Lock movie live-action release dates.

Blue Lock movie release date in Japan

The Blue Lock live-action movie debuted in Japanese theaters on Friday, August 7, 2026, with distributor Toho launching a wide nationwide release.

The film crossed the 1 billion yen mark (approximately US$6.3 million) at the domestic box office within its first 19 days in theaters, establishing strong momentum ahead of its planned international rollout.

Blue Lock movie live-action release dates worldwide

Unlike a typical simultaneous worldwide release, Blue Lock is rolling out country by country, with new dates confirmed on a rolling basis. Here are the Blue Lock movie release dates that have been announced so far.

(To be updated)

We’ll keep this list updated as more Blue Lock movie live-action release dates and territories are announced.

Blue Lock movie release date USA, UK, and other major markets

There’s no official Blue Lock movie release date for the US, UK, or other major English-language markets as of writing. Toho is handling international distribution, and while the studio hasn’t confirmed a timeline, it typically brings its major anime films to Western theaters two to six months after their Japanese debut.

If that pattern holds, a Western release for the Blue Lock live-action movie could land between late 2026 and early 2027.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0, also distributed by Toho, premiered in Japan in December 2021 and opened in US and Canadian theaters on March 18, 2022 — a three-month gap, with the UK, Germany, Sweden, and other territories following in the weeks after.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train took longer, debuting in Japan in October 2020 but not reaching US theaters until spring 2021, closer to an eight-month wait, largely due to pandemic-related distribution delays.

What is the Blue Lock movie about?

The Blue Lock live-action movie follows the same premise that made the original franchise a hit.

After Japan’s 16th-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, the Japan Football Union launches a radical experiment called Blue Lock, confining 300 top high school strikers in an isolated facility to forge a single, ruthless forward capable of winning a World Championship.

The story centers on Yoichi Isagi as he fights to survive the cutthroat selection process, clashing and colliding with rivals who are just as hungry to be the one.

Directed by Yusuke Taki and written by Tetsuo Kamata, the film stars Fumiya Takahashi as Isagi, alongside Kaito Sakurai as Meguru Bachira and Kyohei Takahashi as Hyoma Chigiri. Idol group &TEAM member K takes on the role of Seishiro Nagi, while Masataka Kubota (best known for playing Kaneki in the Tokyo Ghoul live-action films) plays the Blue Lock program’s eccentric architect, Jinpachi Ego.

The soundtrack carries just as much star power. Ado, who previously lent her voice to One Piece Film: Red, performs the movie’s theme song, “Monstruo,” a Latin-influenced track produced by Giga and TeddyLoid with lyrics by ryo of Supercell — the same team behind Ado’s hits “Odo” and “Show.”

The film adapts the manga created by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, which has been running in Kodansha’s Weekly Shounen Magazine since August 2018.

The series became one of the best-selling manga of all time, with tens of millions of copies in circulation, and picked up the Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shounen in 2021. Studio 8bit adapted it into an anime that premiered in October 2022, with a second season following in 2024.

Blue Lock’s popularity has only grown since its 2018 debut, evolving from a niche sports manga into one of the biggest shounen franchises of the decade. The series consistently tops manga sales charts in Japan, and its anime adaptation has become a Crunchyroll staple, streaming to audiences across North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and beyond.

Its influence has even carried into the real world, with the Japan Football Association launching a “Real Life Blue Lock” scouting project in the United States, drawing directly on the show’s premise of hunting for a single elite striker.

Is the Blue Lock live-action movie the same as Blue Lock: Episode Nagi?

If you see older release dates online, you are likely looking at Blue Lock: Episode Nagi. Episode Nagi is a separate animated prequel film from 2024, produced by Studio 8bit, that follows Seishiro Nagi before he enters the Blue Lock program.

It debuted in Japan in April 2024 before Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures brought it to global theaters throughout June and July 2024.

It is a great watch for fans, but it is entirely separate from the 2026 live-action film.