Doraemon's Grand Indian Return
Doraemon Movie Returns to Indian Theaters October 2, Kicking Off Fan Events
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Maiko Sumida (TV Asahi) said the film is Doraemon’s first India big-screen return in 20 years, adding: “We are honored to finally bring Doraemon to the big screen in India after 20 years… We hope children across India—as well as those who grew up with Doraemon—will enjoy this special journey together with them.”
2
The movie’s India plot centers on Nobita and friends camping in the middle of the ocean and using Doraemon gadgets “Underwater Buggy” and “Adapting Ray,” which leads them to a sunken ship and the undersea nation “Mu Federation,” where a Sea Dweller named El warns of the “Castle of the Undersea Devil” awakening.
3
CORE, the campaign’s opening event, is scheduled for June 20–21, 2026 at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai (organized by BWO).
4
BWO’s CORE activations include a dedicated “Doraemon” zone with themed installations, photo opportunities, an interactive fan engagement area, and a “Doraemon” inflatable—followed by a broader rollout spanning school contact programs, digital media, outdoor advertising, and mall activations.
Doraemon is returning to Indian movie screens for the first time in 20 years. Variety reports that TV Asahi and PVR INOX Pictures will release *Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil* nationwide on October 2, 2026 — a national holiday — in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Maiko Sumida of TV Asahi said: "We are honored to finally bring Doraemon to the big screen in India after 20 years." The film earned roughly $25.5 million at the Japanese box office after premiering there in February 2026, according to NDTV Profit.
Nobita Dives Into an Undersea Kingdom With Doraemon
The film follows Nobita and his friends as they camp in the middle of the ocean. Using Doraemon's gadgets — an "Underwater Buggy" and an "Adapting Ray" — the group discovers a sunken ship. It leads them to a hidden undersea nation called the "Mu Federation." A Sea Dweller named El warns them about a dangerous "Castle of the Undersea Devil" that is waking up.
The movie is the 45th feature in the Doraemon franchise. It is based on the original manga by Fujiko F. Fujio and was directed by Tetsuo Yajima, according to Adgully.
A 20-Year Wait Ends With a Full-Scale Nationwide Launch
Doraemon first appeared on Indian television in 2005 on Hungama TV. It quickly became one of the most-watched children's shows in the country. The franchise did have limited theatrical releases in 2011 and 2013, but those were small experiments. This October marks the first true nationwide big-screen push, Variety notes.
PVR INOX CEO Kamal Gianchandani called the release a milestone. He said the growing passion for anime in India makes this "a shared big-screen experience" worth bringing to theaters. India's anime market is now valued at $1.22 billion and growing at over 11% a year, according to the IMARC Group.
Doraemon Kicks Off Campaign at Mumbai Pop-Culture Festival
The promotional push begins June 20–21 at CORE, a pop-culture festival at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. The event — organized by Black White Orange (BWO) — is the campaign's opening event. It is expected to draw over 30,000 visitors, Adgully reports. A dedicated Doraemon zone will feature themed installations, photo spots, an interactive fan area, and a large Doraemon inflatable.
After CORE, BWO will roll out school contact programs, mall activations, outdoor advertising, and digital media campaigns through September. Happening 365 Synergies is providing market strategy support for the India rollout, according to Indian Broadcasting World.
Anime's Mainstream Moment in India Fuels High Expectations
Industry watchers say the October 2 slot is smart. It is a long festive weekend, and Doraemon targets both young children and millennial parents who grew up with the 2005 TV show. A similar strategy worked for TV Asahi's *Shin-chan* movies in 2025, which showed that nostalgic kids' anime can fill multiplex seats.
Still, not everyone is convinced. Some fans say they will wait for the film to hit Disney+ or Sony YAY! rather than pay multiplex prices. And the October release window brings competition for screen time from other films, NDTV Profit notes. But with India clocking 30% annual growth in anime viewership between 2020 and 2025 — the fastest in the world — distributors are betting the moment is right.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
10
Articles
5
Reach
15
A
AnonymousAuthor
