Toho International

Toho International, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Founded	May 1953; 72 years ago (1953-05)
Headquarters	Los Angeles , California
Key people	Kōji Ueda (president)[1]
Parent	TOHO Global
Subsidiaries	Fifth Season (25%) GKIDS
Website	toho.co.jp

Toho International, Inc.^[2] is an American company that is a subsidiary of Japanese film company Toho Co., Ltd.^[3][4][5] Founded in May 1953, the company was initially created to sell films by Toho in North and South America; amongst their first features to export overseas were Seven Samurai and Godzilla (both 1954).^[5] Toho International currently manages the licensing, marketing, and distribution of Toho's movies and other products.^[6] It is headquartered in Los Angeles.

History

On January 5, 2023, Toho International announced that it would acquire a 50% stake in Frederator Networks animated series Bee and PuppyCat, Bravest Warriors, and Bravest Warriors spinoff Catbug. The deal would allow new content to be produced based on the properties, while Toho International's parent company Toho would hold distribution rights in Asian territories.^[7] On October 1, Toho International was split with the rest of Toho's non-Japanese and Asian subsidiaries into Toho Global.^[8] In December 2023, the company announced its intent to acquire a 25% stake in Fifth Season, majority-owned by CJ ENM, for $225 million.^[9]

On October 15, 2024, Toho announced that they would acquire distributor GKIDS for an undisclosed amount, of which GKIDS would become a subsidiary of Toho International.^[10] The deal was completed in 2025.^[11]

Exported films

• Drunken Angel (1948)^[12]
• Seven Samurai (1954)^[5]
• Godzilla (1954)^[5]
• Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
• Half Human (1955)
• The Legend of the White Serpent (1956)
• Rodan (1956)^[12]
• Throne of Blood (1957)
• The Mysterians (1957)^[12]
• The H-Man (1958)^[12]
• Varan the Unbelievable (1958)
• The Hidden Fortress (1958)^[12][13]
• Monkey Sun (1959)
• The Three Treasures (1959)^[14]
• Battle in Outer Space (1959)^[12]
• The Secret of the Telegian (1960)^[15]
• The Bad Sleep Well (1960)^[16]
• The Human Vapor (1960)
• The Story of Osaka Castle (1961)^[17]
• Mothra (1961)
• The Last War (1961)
• Gorath (1962)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
• Matango (1963)
• The Lost World of Sinbad (1963)
• Atragon (1963)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• You Can Succeed, Too (1964)^[18]
• Dogora (1964)^[19]
• Onibaba (1964)^[20]
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965)
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
• The War of the Gargantuas (1966)
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
• King Kong Escapes (1967)
• Son of Godzilla (1967)
• Destroy All Monsters (1968)
• Latitude Zero (1969)
• All Monsters Attack (1969)
• Space Amoeba (1970)
• Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
• Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
• Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974)
• ESPY (1974)
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
• The War in Space (1977)
• The Mystery of Mamo (1978)
• Kagemusha (1980)
• Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984)
• The Return of Godzilla (1984)
• Princess from the Moon (1987)
• Gunhed (1989)
• Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
• Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
• Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994)
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
• Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
• Rebirth of Mothra II (1997)
• Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)
• Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
• Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
• Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
• Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
• Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
• Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
• Shin Godzilla (2016)
• Godzilla Minus One (2023)^[21][22][23]
• My Hero Academia: You're Next (2024)

Sources

• Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461673743.
• Ryfle, Steve; Godziszewski, Ed (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819570871.

References

1. Salkowitz, Rob. "Godzilla Spotted Approaching America! New Japanese Production Arriving In December". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
2. "グループ事業". toho.co.jp. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
3. Frater, Patrick (2023-01-05). "Toho International Buys Stakes in a Trio of Western Anime Properties From Frederator Network". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
4. Frater, Patrick (2023-07-07). "Japan's Toho to Embrace North America's Japanese Pop Culture Fandom With Godzilla and Anime E-Commerce Launches (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
5. Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 148.
6. "東宝、国際展開を本格化 米国子会社に154億円投資". animationbusiness.info. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
7. Frater, Patrick (2023-01-05). "Toho International Buys Stakes in a Trio of Western Anime Properties From Frederator Network". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
8. "東宝[9602]：法定事後開示書類（会社分割）（TOHO Global株式会社） 2023年10月2日(適時開示) ：日経会社情報DIGITAL：日本経済新聞". The Nikkei (in Japanese). Retrieved October 17, 2023.
9. Shackleton, Liz (10 December 2023). "Japan's Toho Acquires 25% Stake In Fifth Season; Korea's CJ ENM Remains Majority Shareholder". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
10. Tangcay, Jazz (October 15, 2024). "Animation Distributor GKIDS Acquired by Japan's Toho". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
11. "TOHO Mid-Term Plan 2028" (PDF). Toho. April 14, 2025. p. 4. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
12. Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 192.
13. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 152.
14. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 161.
15. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 168.
16. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 173.
17. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 177.
18. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 211.
19. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 213.
20. Galbraith IV 2008, p. 215.
21. "Godzilla Minus One - News Roundup". Toho Kingdom. July 14, 2023. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023. It is still coming to Japanese theaters on November 3rd, 2023. However, in addition it's also releasing in US theaters on December 1st, 2023, with Toho International distributing it themselves.
22. "English poster for Godzilla Minus One". Retrieved October 17, 2023.
23. "Godzilla Minus One (2023)". FilmRatings.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

External links

• Official website