‘Hot Spring Shark Attack’ Official Theatrical Release Date Announced

The new July release date for the Japanese horror comedy Hot Spring Shark Attack means that the sharks will be unleashed.

On July 11, the humorous shark horror film will be released by Utopia in a few theaters as well as on popular streaming and cable services.

In particular, Hot Spring Shark Attack will have its premiere on Wednesday, July 9 for special previews at many Alamo Drafthouse locations. The movie will formally launch in theaters on Friday, July 11 for special engagements and extended plays, including in New York City and Los Angeles.

On that day, viewers in North America will have the option to rent or purchase Hot Spring Shark Attack on digital HD and cable VOD services like iNDEMAND, Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Vubiquity.

In “a small hot spring town in Japan, a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities,” Hot Spring Shark Attack (also known as Onsen Shâku) occurs. A bloody and exciting battle results as the locals unite to defend their cherished town from the threatening predator as the threat grows.

The horror comedy is writer/director Morihito Inoue’s first feature film. Among the cast are Daniel Aguilar (Shin Godzilla), Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Mio Takaki, Takuya Fujimura (One Cut of the Dead), and Shôichirô Akaboshi.

Ahead of the US rollout, Inoue shared, “Shark movies are popular in Japan as well, but the number of shark films produced here has not yet met the growing demand. My film was made domestically in Japan and received great acclaim, not only from regular shark movie enthusiasts but also from many viewers who were previously unfamiliar with the genre. I’m very excited to see how this work will be received outside of Japan.”

As expected, the shark film made its Japanese debut at the Tokyo International Shark Film Festival in 2024, where it won the Audience Award. This weekend, it will debut in the United States as the opening night film at the Chattanooga Film Festival.