Neon has acquired North American rights to Japanese thriller Exit 8, which world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the midnight section.
Based on the hit video game, the film will make its North American debut next month at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Centerpiece section. Neon plans a theatrical release in early 2026.
Exit 8 is directed and written by Genki Kawamura, who has produced numerous films and won the Best Director Award for his debut feature A Hundred Flowers (2022) at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The film debuted in Cannes to strong reviews and an 8-minute standing ovation and has since already secured screenings in more than 100 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Kawamura wrote the film with Kentaro Hirase, adapted from the game by Kotake Create. It stars Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, and Nana Komatsu.
The story follows a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway, who 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.
Sarah Colvin, Vice President of Acquisitions at Neon, negotiated the deal with CAA Media Finance, Goodfellas, TOHO and Story, who represented the filmmakers.
The acquisition follows another high profile Cannes for Neon which earned its sixth consecutive Palme d’Or win with Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident and also acquired North American rights to Jury Prize winner Sirât from Oliver Laxe; The Secret Agent from Best Director winner Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Best Actor winner Wagner Moura; and Ugo Bienvenu’s animated adventure Arco produced by Natalie Portman and winner of the Cristal Award at Annecy.
The distributor heads into Venice with Park Chan-wook’s Golden Lion contender No Other Choice, which it boarded earlier this year. In TIFF, Neon is presenting five films in Official Selection including The Secret Agent, It Was Just An Accident, Sirât, Sentimental Value and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.
