At the Bench Anniversary Screenings Begin November 13 in Tokyo and Kyoto
The omnibus film's two-year run expands to 11 theaters in 8 prefectures, and it remains unavailable on streaming services.
A special screening run marking two years since the theatrical release of the omnibus film At the Bench begins on November 13, 2026 at Shimokitazawa K2 in Tokyo and Uplink Kyoto in Kyoto, according to cinemacafe.net. The two venues will screen the film for one week only, through November 19.
The anniversary screenings extend to 11 theaters across 8 prefectures: Hokkaido, Gunma, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Aichi, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Theater Kino in Sapporo starts on November 15, followed by KBC Cinema in Fukuoka from November 20 to 26 and Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho from November 27 to December 3.
109 Cinemas Futakotamagawa runs the film from December 1 to 3, Century Cinema in Aichi from December 18 to 24, and Cinemateque Takasaki on December 25, 26 and 27. Stranger in Tokyo, Cine Gallery in Shizuoka and Salon Cinema in Hiroshima will follow with their own screenings.
The film is not currently available on streaming services, so the theatrical run is the only way to see it.
From three theaters to a nationwide run
At the Bench opened in November 2024 at only three theaters in Tokyo and Osaka before expanding to more than 80 theaters nationwide. At its main venue, Theater Shinjuku, it recorded the highest annual attendance for 2024 and surpassed 100 million yen in box office revenue.
The project began as chapters released free on Vimeo, the first in September 2023 and the second in April 2024, with three more chapters added for the theatrical feature. The film won Best Screenplay and Best Artistic Contribution in the Forward Future section at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival in 2025 and placed first in the audience award for foreign films at the 27th Taipei Film Festival. Yoshiyuki Okuyama directed.
Quick answers
When do the At the Bench anniversary screenings start?
They begin on November 13, 2026 at Shimokitazawa K2 in Tokyo and Uplink Kyoto in Kyoto, and run there through November 19.
Is At the Bench available to stream?
No. The film is not currently available on streaming services.
Where else is At the Bench screening?
Screenings are planned at 11 theaters in 8 prefectures, including Theater Kino in Sapporo, KBC Cinema in Fukuoka, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, 109 Cinemas Futakotamagawa, Century Cinema in Aichi and Cinemateque Takasaki.