It’s true that Demon Slayer has been dominating the Japanese box office ever since it premiered in July, but that doesn’t mean that other movies aren’t leaving their mark on cinemagoers. Last week, a video game adaptation that is highly anticipated by its fans made a surprising number of people flock to Japanese theaters after its premiere. Exit 8, a thriller with a pretty unique concept, became the movie with the highest three-day opening in the country.
It’s not a surprise that fans are curious to see how the concept of Exit 8 was adapted to movie format. The story centers around a man that simply wakes up inside a subway station. His objective is straightforward: He has to leave the station through exit #8, which should be quite simple. However, he has to keep his eyes peeled for everything that’s around him, because if he spots anything that’s different from the ordinary, he immediately has to turn back. Otherwise, he could be trapped in the station forever.
Since Exit 8 is a game of observation, the adaptation has the potential to engage audiences, because viewers take it upon themselves to scrutinize every frame in order to find something weird. They can get just as invested as the protagonist in figuring out the puzzles of the station. And it looks like it’s working: The movie made the equivalent of $6 million last weekend and now, just a few days later, it has already surpassed the $7 million mark.
‘Exit 8’ Has Already Set a U.S. Release Window
If Exit 8 has sparked your curiosity, you will be glad to know that the movie is already slated to debut in U.S. movie theaters in early 2026. The information was unveiled by NEON — the distribution company that acquired rights for the movie after it made waves at film festivals earlier this year. The company has yet to select a specific premiere date.
In Cannes, Collider had the opportunity to sit down with Exit 8 director Genki Kawamura, and he revealed that he wanted to reproduce the game experience, which is why the movie kicks off with a continuous shot and makes the Exit 8 sign feel like “a divine entity.” The director also underscored that the movie was a highly collaborative experience, because, since the time-loop game doesn’t have much of a story, they’ve had to fill in the gaps to come up with a screenplay that’s true to the source material but also riveting.
Exit 8 premieres in U.S. theaters in early 2026.
Exit 8
Release Date
August 29, 2025
Runtime
95 Minutes
Kazunari Ninomiya
The Lost Man
Yamato Kochi
The Walking Man
Kotone Hanase
The Schoolgirl
AloJapan.com