Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to Celebrate Upcoming Release of One Piece Film Red with Large-Scale Times Square Takeover

All New Feature Film Based on One of Japan's Most Popular Manga Franchise ONE PIECE to Paint New York's Biggest Stage Red During New York Comic Con

TOKYO, Japan (October 4, 2022) – Ahead of the anticipated nationwide release of ONE PIECE FILM RED in November, 2022 “One Piece” production committee announced its plan to launch a large-scale takeover ad campaign in New York's Times Square exclusively on Saturday, October 8 between 7:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (EST). The takeover ad campaign is set to launch during the largest pop culture convention in the East Coast -- New York Comic Con.

The out-of-home Times Square takeover campaign will utilize multiple digital billboards to showcase an engaging ad experience that is sure to leave any fan of the series enthralled. The exclusive ad will start with a countdown animation, then images of the Straw Hat Pirates including a giant scale Luffy, and memorable scenes from the original ONE PIECE anime to amplify the pirate crew's new adventure. This Times Square Takeover is one of the largest out-of-home advertisements campaigns in ONE PIECE series history.

Toei Animation and Crunchyroll announced earlier last month their plans to distribute the film in the U.S. and Canada on November 4. Anime streaming service, Crunchyroll along with Toei Animation will host the North American premiere on Thursday, October 6 at New York Comic Con.

The film, ONE PIECE FILM RED, produced by Toei Animation is based on one of Japan's most popular manga series by author Eiichiro Oda currently serialized in the world-renowned weekly shonen manga anthology, “Weekly Shonen Jump” published by Shueisha, Inc.

In Japan, the film was released on August 6, 2022 in theaters, and watched by over 1.57 million people in the first 2 days with a box office of over 2.25 billion yen. It continues to dominate the Japan box office by staying in the top ranking even after about two months since its release. As of September 29, ONE PIECE FILM RED has a box office revenue of 15.8 billion yen from over 11.3 million admissions.

ONE PIECE FILM RED INTRODUCTION
In 2021, the original manga reached 100 volumes and the anime hit its 1000th episode. It was also announced that a Hollywood live-action movie was in adaptation. The release of ONE PIECE FILM RED is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the debut of One Piece manga back in 1997. There have been many exciting announcements surrounding the 25th anniversary of ONE PIECE. “Singing voice” and “Red-haired” are the key characters in the story. Presented by General Producer Eiichiro Oda, the long-awaited 4th FILM series is finally set to go.

ONE PIECE FILM RED STORY
Uta—the most beloved singer in the world whose voice has been described as "otherworldly"—is renowned for concealing her own identity when performing. Now, for the first time ever, she will reveal herself to the world at a live concert. With the Navy watching closely, the venue fills with Uta's fans—including excited pirates and the Straw Hats led by Luffy, who simply came to enjoy her sonorous performance—all eagerly awaiting the voice that the whole world has been waiting for to resound. The story begins with the shocking revelation that she is the enigmatic Shanks' daughter. Uta stands on the stage, with the ordinary wish of “Making the world happy with my music.” There's Gordon, a mysterious character who knows Uta's past, and glimpses of Shanks' shadow. On Elegia, the island of music, Luffy and Uta reunite for the first time since they last met 12 years ago in Foosha Village.