Ask John: When Will the New Evangelion Movies Reach America?

Question:
The new Evangelion movie opened in September. When will it come here to America? My guess is that Manga Entertainment or ADV Films will pick up the project.

Answer:
Despite the fact that American fans are very eager to see the new Evangelion movie series, I suspect that the films are unlikely to reach America in the immediate future. The four new Evangelion films are a single story, so they’re unlikely to be split up between different licensors. Whichever distributor acquires rights to the new Evangelion animation is likely to secure rights to all four films. Since the movies aren’t through production in Japan yet, they may not be available for licensing yet. A Japanese distributor may require a particular amount in return for translation and distribution rights, and that fee could be determined at any time. However, if the Japanese master licensor wants a licensing fee that represents a percentage of the total production cost of the new anime, that amount may be impossible to determine right now.

Furthermore, the new Evangelion movies may not reach America until all four pictures have been released in Japan. Especially if the forthcoming films are as successful as the first has been, a Japanese licensor may want to delay arranging foreign distribution in order to base licensing fees upon the total value of the four film franchise in Japan. Furthermore, especially considering the success and popularity of the first new movie in Japan, I expect that the Japanese master licensor will insist that the new movies hit Japanese home video prior to their American home video release. That stipulation may delay an American release.

I know that there’s a lot of speculation in America’s fan community that the new Evangelion films are likely to be licensed by either AD Vision or Manga Entertainment, since it’s these two companies that distribute the earlier Evangelion animation in America. However, I don’t think that either of these licensors should be considered a sure bet. Since the new Evangelion films are specifically designed to be accessible to new audiences not familiar with the prior animation, and considering the massive international success of the Evangelion franchise, the new movie series may be an attractive license for major film distributors like Sony Pictures or Warner Bros. Furthermore, considering that AD Vision has publicly acknowledged its decision not to acquire the original Evangelion movies because of their high licensing cost, the anticipated cost of acquiring rights to the new Evangelion movies may put them out of the reach of most conventional American anime distributors.

Given the immense popularity of the Evangelion franchise in America, logically the new movies may be expected to reach America sooner rather than later. However, considering the magnitude of this new franchise and the probably enormous amounts of money tied up with it, this is a franchise that I can easily foresee taking its time to reach America. Maximizing the profit potential of the new animation may be much more important to its Japanese distributors than satisfying the eager anticipation of rabid American viewers.