Detective Pikachu was released in Japan on May 3, 2019, and in the United States on May 10, byWarner Bros. Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $433 million against a $150 million budget, becoming thesecond-highest grossing video game film adaptation at the time.
Tim Goodman gave up his dream of being a Pokémon Trainer following the death of his mother and his estrangement from his father Harry, a police detective who moved to Ryme City, where humans and Pokémon live together side by side, and participating in Pokémon battles, being a Trainer, and having Poké Balls is illegal. Tim is informed by Harry's friend, Lieutenant Hideo Yoshida, that Harry was killed in a car accident. Tim travels to Ryme City and goes to Harry's apartment to sort things out, being surprised by Harry's police partner, adeerstalker-cladamnesiacPikachu, whom only Tim can understand. Tim accidentally releases a purple gas known as "R" from a vial he finds in Harry's office; they are attacked by a group ofAipom[c] who became rabid under the gas' influence.
Pikachu believes that Harry survived the crash, as the police never found his body. They meet an informant of Harry's, aMr. Mime, who directs them to an illegal underground Pokémon battle arena. The arena is raided by police and Tim and Pikachu are arrested. They are brought to Yoshida, who reveals footage of Harry's crash, explaining that Harry having survived would have been impossible.
Tim and Pikachu are contacted by Howard Clifford, the founder and former chairman of Clifford Industries and the creator of Ryme City. He uses advanced holographic imagery to show them the crash; the hologram was recreated from police footage and allows them to see what police officers cannot or do not want them to see. The hologram reveals that Harry was abducted by a genetically engineered Pokémon calledMewtwo, who seemingly caused the crash and erased Pikachu's memory of the incident. Howard reveals that his son, the current chairman of Clifford Enterprises, Roger Clifford, is the mastermind of the R gas. Tim and Pikachu recruit junior reporter Lucy Stevens and herPsyduck, and travel to the abandoned genetics laboratory Harry was investigating. Through advanced holographic imagery, Tim and Pikachu discover that Mewtwo’s DNA was used to create the R gas and Harry was tasked with capturing him. Roger releases power-enhancedGreninja that attack them. They manage to escape and survive a field of growth-enhancedTorterra, but Pikachu becomes severely injured. ABulbasaur leads Tim and Pikachu to Mewtwo, who heals Pikachu. Mewtwo begins to reveal how Pikachu helped him escape from the lab, only to be abducted by Roger. Thinking that he betrayed Harry, Pikachu leaves Tim.
While sadly singing thePokémon Theme, he comes across the scene of the crash and finds a water shuriken. He deduces that the Greninjas were sent to cause the crash and Mewtwo was trying to protect him and Harry from them. Remembering what Howard said about advanced holographic imagery, he realizes that Howard is the true mastermind behind the R gas. Back at Ryme City, Tim goes to Howard's office where Howard reveals his true nature. He uses a neural link headband to transfer his consciousness from his body into Mewtwo. He explains how Mewtwo can fuse humans with Pokémon when they are in a crazed state. He believes that merging humans and Pokémon is the key to future prosperity. He also reveals he arranged for Harry to be killed when he learned too much about his plot.
Howard unleashes the gas on the city from parade balloons and starts fusing humans with Pokémon, including Lucy and Yoshida. Pikachu arrives and fights Mewtwo, while Tim discovers that Roger, who appeared to be working in tandem with his father, is actually Howard's genetically-modifiedDitto; the real Roger was tied up and gagged because Roger also disapproved of his father’s plot. Tim manages to defeat Howard by removing the headset on his head, freeing Mewtwo, who separates the people from their Pokémon. As Howard is arrested, Roger vows to undo his father's misdeeds and tasks Lucy with spearheading the media coverage.
Mewtwo explains that Harry had tried to save him from Howard and helped him escape, but was attacked by the Greninja. He decided to heal Harry's wounded body, which was when Pikachu volunteered to have his consciousness fused with Harry's in order to continue their investigation. As a result, the experience erased both Harry's and Pikachu's memories. Mewtwo separates the two, and Tim reunites with his father in his human body. Tim then decides to stay in Ryme City to become a detective and spend more time with Harry and Pikachu.
Detective Pikachu, a world-class detective and exceptionally intelligent talking Pikachu that only Tim can understand. Reynolds performed both the voice andmotion capture for the character.
Ikue Ōtani provides Detective Pikachu's normal voice as heard by the citizens of Ryme City other than Tim. Ōtani reprises her role from thePokémon anime and video games.
Harry Goodman, Tim's missingwidowed father and a Ryme City police detective.
Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, a former aspiringPokémon Trainer and insurance agent looking for his missing father. He is also Detective Pikachu's partner and the only person capable of hearing him speak.
Suki Waterhouse as Ms. Norman alias Howard Clifford's Ditto, Howard's genetically modifiedDitto who poses as a female bodyguard for him while hiding its unchanged eyes with sunglasses.
Omar Chaparro as Sebastian, a Pokémon Trainer who runs a secret Ryme City Pokémon battle arena and is accompanied by aCharizard.
Chris Geere as Roger Clifford, Howard's son who is president of CMN and Clifford Industries.
Ken Watanabe as Lieutenant Hideo Yoshida, a veteran Ryme City police lieutenant and friend of Harry who is accompanied by aSnubbull. Watanabe also voiced his own lines in the Japanese version.
Bill Nighy as Howard Clifford, Roger's father and the disabled visionary behind Ryme City and founder of Clifford Industries.
Rita Ora as Doctor Ann Laurent, a scientist for Clifford Enterprises experimenting onMewtwo.
Karan Soni as Jack, Tim's friend who is a Pokémon trainer and encourages him to catch aCubone.
Josette Simon as "Grams", Tim's grandmother who took care of him after the death of her daughter, Tim's mother.
Rina Hoshino and Kotaro Watanabe asMewtwo(vocal performance/motion capture), a human-made Pokémon that is targeted by Howard Clifford for its abilities.
Additionally,Diplo appears as the DJ who performs at Sebastian's Pokémon arena. Abbie Murphy appears asCynthia McMaster.Ryoma Takeuchi, who provides the Japanese dubbed voice of Tim, has a cameo as a Pokémon Trainer in a video Tim watches. In a deleted scene,Rob Delaney appears as a co-worker of Tim at the insurance company.Ralph Foody and Michael Guido respectively appear as Johnny and Snakes, characters from theHome Alonefilm within a filmAngels with Filthy Souls, viaarchive footage from the former film.[9][10]
Following a bidding war in April 2016 which resulted inLegendary Entertainment's acquisition of the film rights toPokémon in, a live-action adaptation ofDetective Pikachu was announced in July that same year, as a collaboration between Legendary andthe Pokémon Company.[11][12] The Pokémon Company andRob Letterman wanted to adaptDetective Pikachu because of their interest in making a film that focused on another character besidesAsh Ketchum, the protagonist of thePokémon animated TV series. On the premise, Letterman stated, "The Pokémon Company, they've already made many, many movies of Ash, and they came to Legendary with this idea of using a new character. So when I came onboard, I was pitched this character of Detective Pikachu, and I fell in love with the story behind it."[13] The idea of talking Pokémon originated from an early concept for the 1990s TV series, but was scrapped when theoriginal game developer,Game Freak, was unsatisfied with the concept. The idea was revived for the 2016Detective Pikachu spin-off game.[14] Letterman said that they "spent a year designing all the characters ahead of shooting so that we could get it all right".[15]
On November 30, 2016, Letterman was officially hired to direct the film, and the studio fast-tracked production to start in 2017.[16] Earlier, on August 16, 2016,Nicole Perlman andAlex Hirsch were in negotiations with Legendary to write the screenplay.[17] Later revisions were provided byEric Pearson,Thomas McCarthy,Derek Connolly, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Letterman.[18] Ultimately, Hernandez, Samit, Letterman, and Connolly received screenplay credit, while Hernandez, Samit and Perlman received "story by" billing.
The film's cinematographer,John Mathieson, noted that, like his other films,Detective Pikachu was shoton traditional film, in contrast to most other contemporary films which are shotdigitally. He said the use of traditional film helps make it "look more realistic".[37]
In early November 2018, with the film in the post-production phase, a screen test was held for an incomplete version of the film, which drew positive reactions from the test audience.[43][44]
The film's first official trailer was released on November 12, 2018.[45] Warner Bros. revealed versions of the trailer in English along with dubbed versions in Spanish, French, Italian and German.[46] It soon became the top trending video on YouTube,[47] and a top trending topic on Twitter,[45] while inspiring numerousinternet memes andreaction videos.[48] Within 24 hours, thehigh-concept trailer amassed more than 100 million views across multiple online and social media platforms.[48] On YouTube, the English-language trailer garnered over 1million likes within two days,[49] and 1.22 million likes within five days.[50] On Twitter, it set a new record of over 400,000 mentions on the day of the trailer reveal.[51] The film was supported by a $100 million marketing budget.[52]
On November 30, 2018, Letterman, Smith, and Newton appeared on stage during the Tokyo Comic-Con event.[53]
On May 7, 2019, a Warner Bros. YouTube channel named "Inspector Pikachu" uploaded a video purporting to be abootleg recording of the film. Spanning nearly 1.75 hours in length, the opening minute shows the production logo sequences followed by a scene from the film featuring Tim Goodman, before spending the remainder of its runtime depicting Pikachu performingaerobics to an upbeat, 1980s-inspiredsynthwave tune. Reynolds aided in the prank, posting on Twitter as if he was alerting Warner Bros. and the film's official accounts about the alleged bootleg.[54][55][56] The video, which Paul Tassi ofForbes described as "brilliant", received 4.2 million views in less than a day.[54]
On March 15, 2019, it was revealed that Legendary will release a graphic novel based on the film.[57]Niantic Labs promoted the film through thePokémon Go app, by featuring, among other things, select Pokémon from the movie appear in the game, including a limited edition "detective" version of Pikachu.[58] The Pokémon Company released a series oftrading cards featuring images from the film, including a limited edition Detective Pikachu card only available the first weekend of the film's release. Along with TCG booster pack sets, they produced a limited edition Detective Pikachu Cafe Figure Collection bundle.[59][60] A set of 6 Detective Pikachu toys were also sold atBurger King.[61] Wicked Cool Toys, the current toy partner for the franchise, released figures and plush toys for retail as well.[62]
Initially,Universal Pictures was due to handle distribution outside Japan, whileToho would handle the Japanese distribution.[63] On July 25, 2018,Warner Bros. announced they had taken over worldwide distribution duties (except in Japan and China) from Universal, with the release date unchanged.[64] Warner Bros. also got the film rights for the Pokémon franchise for 30 years.[citation needed] The film received a PG rating from theMPAA, being the firstPokémon film released in the United States not to receive a G rating.[65]
When the film's Japanese release was announced on November 29, 2018,Ryoma Takeuchi was confirmed to voice Tim Goodman in the Japanese version.[66] Takeuchi also has a brief cameo appearance in the film itself as a Pokémon trainer.[67] On March 20, 2019, it was confirmed thatMarie Iitoyo would voice Lucy Stevens and Ken Watanabe would reprise his role as Detective Yoshida, in the Japanese dub.[68] When the film premiered in Japan on May 3, 2019,Hidetoshi Nishijima was confirmed to have voiced Detective Pikachu in the Japanese dub.[69]
The US premiere was held on May 3, 2019, in New York and featured ayellow carpet.[70]
Detective Pikachu was released in Europe on May 8, 2019, in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia on May 9, 2019, and May 10, 2019, in China, the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US.[citation needed]
The film debuted at the DVD and Blu-ray charts upon the week of its release,[72] and was the second top-sellinghome video title in August 2019 (afterAvengers: Endgame).[73] As of August 2020[update], the DVD and Blu-ray releases ofDetective Pikachu have earned more than$30 million in the United States.[72]
Detective Pikachu grossed $144 million in the United States and Canada, and $289 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $433 million, against a production budget of $150 million.[7]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideTolkien,Poms andThe Hustle, and was projected to gross $50–70 million from 4,202 theaters.[5][74] The film made$20.7 million on its first day, including$5.7 million from Thursday night previews, both records for a film based on a video game.[75]Detective Pikachu went on to debut to $54.4 million, finishing second at the weekend box office behind holdoverAvengers: Endgame, though it did top the Friday box office on its opening day.[76][77] At the time, it was the best-ever opening for a video game film, (the record was broken the following year bySonic the Hedgehog with $58 million)[78][79] and was also the sixth-highest total for a film that did not debut number one at the box office.[80] In its second weekend, the film made $24.8 million, finishing third behindJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum andAvengers: Endgame,[81] and then made $13.3 million in its third weekend, finishing fourth.[82]
In other territories, the film was projected to debut to $90–120 million from 62 countries, including $40–60 million in China.[83] Prior to its worldwide release, the film grossed$21 million from openings and previews in several international markets, including Japan, through Thursday.[84] The film had an international opening weekend debut of $103 million (and a five-day debut of $112.4 million), dethroningAvengers: Endgame at the top of the international box office.[85]Detective Pikachu topped the international box office again in its second weekend.[86] Despite breaking records, the film fell below expectations due to the high budget.[87]
In Japan, the film opened at number three (behindDetective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire andAvengers: Endgame), grossing¥948 million ($8.6 million) in its opening weekend,[88] before topping the box office in its second weekend, with a cumulative¥1,465,395,700[89] ($13,327,837).[90] In China,Detective Pikachu had an opening day gross of$16.4 million,[91] and topped the box office with a weekend debut of $40.8 million.[84] It topped the Chinese box office again in its second week, with a cumulative$69.3 million.[92] In the United Kingdom, it topped the box office with a £4.9 million ($6.6 million) debut.[93] As of May 26, 2019[update], the film's largest international markets are China ($84.4 million), Japan ($21.2 million), the United Kingdom ($13.6 million), Mexico ($10.4 million), and Germany ($9.5 million).[94]
The design of Detective Pikachu and Ryan Reynolds's portrayal of the character received critical praise.[95][96]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 316 reviews and an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Pokémon Detective Pikachu may not take its wonderfully bizarre premise as far as it could have, but this offbeat adaptation should catch most – if not all – of the franchise's fans."[97] It was the first international theatrical live-action video game adaptation to maintain a "fresh" rating and it was the highest rated video game adaptation on the site,[98] until it was surpassed byThe Angry Birds Movie 2.[99] OnMetacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on reviews from 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[100] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, and general audiences polled byPostTrak gave it 4 out of 5 stars.[76]
Scott Mendelson ofForbes called the film "the best video game movie ever" and wrote, "Detective Pikachu works because it's a good movie first and a promising franchise-starter or a brand cash-in second. It's a real film, rooted in character arcs and narrative twists with just enough raw emotion and personal stakes to make the significant special effects moments matter beyond spectacle."[101]CNET's Sean Keane called it the best film ever based on a video game, saying it achieves the balance of appealing to existing fans as well as potential new audiences. Keane praised Reynolds performance and called the film "an entertaining romp with plenty of heart".[95] Clarisse Loughrey ofThe Independent gave the film 3/5 stars, noting the film's similarities toWho Framed Roger Rabbit and that it did not attempt to familiarize viewers with the franchise, but stated that it "feels more intriguing than it does derivative, and it's a delight for fans to see how immersive this world actually feels."[102] Simran Hans ofThe Observer gave the film 4/5 stars, writing: "What's clever is the way this live-action spinoff exploits nostalgia for the family-friendly blockbusters of the late 1980s and the 1990s... rather than the Japanese "Pocket Monsters" themselves."[103]
Writing forThe Hollywood Reporter, Michael Rechtshaffen said, "Although the script... tends to compartmentalize the comedy, action and emotional bits rather than organically blending them all together, Letterman's energetic direction manages to hold everything aloft."[3]Alonso Duralde's mixed review forTheWrap describes the film as feeling "both ambitious and lazy, frenzied and sluggish".[104] Peter Debruge ofVariety was critical of the plot and the special effects: "Though consistent with the games... the story ofDetective Pikachu doesn't allow nearly enough Pokémon-related action, while the quality of the computer animation... falls far short of the basic level of competency audiences have come to expect from effects movies." Debruge was also critical of the central pairing of Pikachu and Tim Goodman, saying the relationship lacks chemistry.[105] Kate Erbland ofIndiewire gave the film a mixed review, praising the "awe-inspiring" visuals but criticizing the messy plot, saying that "no amount of technical polish can detract from a thin narrative that confuses far more than it amuses", and complaining that many of the best jokes were in the trailer.[106]
In January 2019, months ahead of the release ofDetective Pikachu, Legendary announced that a sequel was already in development, withOren Uziel signed on as screenwriter.[112][113] However, on May 3, 2021,Justice Smith said regarding a potential sequel: "I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I don't think it's going to happen. I really hope so though".[114] In February 2023, a representative from Legendary Entertainment said that a sequel is still "in active development".[115] In March 2023, it was reported thatJonathan Krisel would direct the sequel and thatChris Galletta would write the screenplay.[116]
By 2024, journalists concluded that the sequel had gotten stuck indevelopment hell.[117][118][119][120] In January of that year, Justice Smith stated that he had not received any calls or updates from the studio.[121] In August 2024,Game Freak suffered adata breach resulting in the theft of employees' personal data, as well as info regarding upcoming games.[122] The leaked files also included major plot details for the sequel, titledThe Great Detective Pikachu, and revealed thatJordan Vogt-Roberts was set to direct it.[123][124] The studio had scheduled a release for 2024, but for unknown reasons, the movie did not materialize. Logan Moore ofComicBook.com concluded this suggested "the film fell apart internally and is no longer happening, or it could simply be on hold".[125]
^Detective Pikachu was developed byCreatures Inc., directed by Naoki Miyashita, written by Tomokazu Ohara and Haruka Utsui, and published byNintendo and The Pokémon Company; The Pokémon Company is owned by Nintendo,Game Freak, and Creatures Inc.
^Also known asPokémon: Detective Pikachu or simplyDetective Pikachu, and released asGreat Detective Pikachu (Japanese:名探偵ピカチュウ,Hepburn:Meitantei Pikachū) in Japan after the original game
^東京コミコン2018に、「名探偵ピカチュウ」 監督・キャストが登壇！ [Director and Casts ofDetective Pikachu to appear at Tokyo Comic-Con 2018] (in Japanese).Toho. November 29, 2018.Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. RetrievedNovember 29, 2018 – via movie-news.jp.
^日本語吹き替えキャストに、竹内涼真が決定！ (in Japanese).Toho. November 29, 2018.Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. RetrievedNovember 29, 2018 – via movie-news.jp.
^竹内涼真『名探偵ピカチュウ』にカメオ出演していた！.Cinema Today (in Japanese). April 5, 2019.Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. RetrievedApril 7, 2019.
^日本語吹替えキャスト、追加発表！ (in Japanese).Toho. March 20, 2019.Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. RetrievedMarch 20, 2019 – via movie-news.jp.
^"Pokémon Detective Pikachu".Empire. May 3, 2019.Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. RetrievedMay 3, 2020.It's impossible to overstate how much this film owes to Ryan Reynolds.
