Two 'Detective Chinatown' films get Japan release dates

Chinese tentpole blockbuster Detective Chinatown 2 will be released in Japan on Nov. 12 after the third film in the franchise received positive reviews.

The second movie from the Detective Chinatown series, created by director Chen Sicheng, grossed a staggering $544 million worldwide in 2018, but was not released in Japan until now.

The third installment of the franchise, Detective Chinatown 3, became the first to land in Japanese film market, buoyed by the fact that it takes place across several Japanese locations. The film also stars several Japanese actors, such as Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masami Nagasawa, Shôta Sometani, Honami Suzuki, Tadanobu Asano, and Tomokazu Miura.

Detective Chinatown 3 was released earlier this year in China as well as several other markets during the Spring Festival. It grossed 4.52 billion yuan ($698.18 million) in China after its release, making it one of the highest grossing films of all time in the country.

The movie was rebranded as Detective Chinatown: Tokyo Mission for the Japanese release. It also received positive responses from Japanese audiences after its debut on July 9, with many showings having sold out, the distributors said.

Encouraged by the film's success, another distributor, Team Joy, under the Chinese company Joy Pictures, decided to distribute the second installment in Japan, which will be renamed Detective Chinatown: New York Mission.

Director Chen has long had ambitions to make the Detective Chinatown franchise a global entertainment brand, as it follows its protagonists traveling around the world in their effort to crack mysterious cases.