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A glum arthouse market may be entering a gateway weekend into happier days after months of distributors — with rare exceptions — pulling out their hair at dismal per-screens averages. That’s because festival buzz is mounting for film after film – from Card Counter, Dune and Spencer, to King Richard and Cyrano.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Dear Evan Hansen open in theaters on Sept, 17 and Sept. 24 after Toronto premieres. Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch from Cannes rolls out Oct. 22. Warner Bros’ Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark has an Oct. 1 release date. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has a Nov. 12 theatrical date after a world premiere in Toronto (and a glimpse at Telluride.)

It’s like the Marvel Cinematic Universe of arthouses, films set to give a bump to a specialty...

Yakuza Princess goes for the jugular with visceral katana-slicing action, but unfortunately gets bogged down by sluggish pacing. Adapted from the graphic novel "Samurai Shiro" by Brazilian comic book artist Danilo Beyruth, the film has striking cinematography and intriguing characters. It takes a deep dive into Japanese organized crime, samurai culture, and sword fighting tactics. Issues arise when the mystery that drives the narrative drones on. The tension established continually deflates with melodramatic lulls. A brutal finale swerves Yakuza Princess back on track for a recommendation.

In 1999 Osaka, Japan, a family gathering turns into a bloody massacre. Twenty-one years later in São Paulo, Brazil's Japanese district, Akemi (Masumi) struggles with the random murder of her beloved grandfather. She follows his wishes and continues to practice Kendo with her nearly lifelong master (Toshiji Takeshima). Meanwhile, two seemingly separate events have major repercussions. Takeshi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), a fierce Yakuza lieutenant (kanbu), learns a long kept secret.

Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired U.S rights to “Yakuza Princess,” an action thriller starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Japanese American singer Masumi. The film is directed by Vicente Amorim (“Motorrad”) and is adapted from Danilo Beyruth’s graphic novel “Shiro.

Magnet will release “Yakuza Princess” later this year.

The film unfolds in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil — the largest Japanese diaspora in the world. It follows Akemi (Masumi), an orphan who discovers she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate. After forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger (Rhys Meyers) who believes an ancient sword binds their two fates, Akemi unleashes war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.

“’Yakuza Princess’ is a wild ride of a movie,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles in a statement. “The Brazilian backdrop infuses the action...

XYZ Films has boarded action thriller “Yakuza Princess,” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Japanese-American singer Masumi. The film will be shopped to buyers at the European Film Market (EFM) in early March.

XYZ will sell worldwide rights save Latin America for the English-language feature, directed by Vicente Amorim, whose previous film, “Motorrad,” screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017. The film is written by Amorim, Fernando Toste, Kimi Lee and Tubaldini Shelling.

Based on the graphic novel “Samurai Shiro” by Danilo Beyruth and set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil — the largest Japanese diaspora in the world — “Yakuza Princess” turns on orphan Akemi (Masumi), who turns 21 and finds out she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza (Japanese crime syndicate) empire. The other half, however, wants her dead, and her one hope is an amnesiac gaijin who awakes in hospital believing that an ancient...

Yakuza Princess

Brazil’s Vicente Amorim is poised for a busy 2020, with three completed projects jockeying for a premiere. At the top of our list is his Japanese-Brazilian production Yakuza Princess, produced by LG Tubaldini, Jr., and Andre Skaf. Japanese-American singer/actress Masumi is making her debut with a cast including Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenny Leu (Midway). The title is lensed by Gustavo Hedba. Amorim is perhaps best known to Us audiences for his 2008 WWII drama Good, which starred Viggo Mortensen.…...

Japanese-American singer-actress Masumi will make her big screen debut opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers in “Yakuza Princess,” which has completed filming in Brazil. The Japanese-styled thriller also stars Tsuyoshi Ihara (“Letters From Iwo Jima”) and Kenny Leu (“Midway”).

“Princess” is an adaptation of a Brazilian graphic novel “Samurai Shiro” by Danilo Beyruth, in which a Japanese gang boss is killed, and his only heiress is sent abroad as a baby. Twenty years later she discovers her inheritance, and her vulnerability, and unleashes a war against her pursuers.

It is directed by Vincente Amorim, a rising star in Latin American cinema, with film credits including “Motorrad” and “The Division.”

Production is by LG Tubaldini Jr and Andre Skaf, the duo responsible for the success of Amorim’s “Motorrad” and “Divorce.” Company credits include Filmland Internacional and Twentieth Century Fox as co-producer. The film has investment from Bbdtvm, and Warner Bros. Pictures attached as distributor in Latin America.