In the first acquisition from the U.S. Dramatic Competition program this year, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to the Sundance crowdpleaser “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,” which premiered on opening night last week.
The film, which stars Rinko Kikuchi as a new widow who finds joy in ballroom dancing, will be released in theaters.
Josef Kubota Wladyka wrote and directed “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” based on his own life, with his real-life mother earning a standing ovation at the film’s premiere screening.
“Exhilarating, surprising, immensely entertaining describe this wonderful new film directed by filmmaker, Josef Kubota Wladyka. We can’t wait for theatrical audiences everywhere to be energized by and smile as they watch Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,” said Sony Pictures Classics in a statement.
“I have so much admiration and respect for the body of work and history that Sony Pictures Classics represents. To join their family and put this film out into theaters is a dream come true. I can’t wait for the world to see Rinko Kikuchi’s formidable performance,” added Kubota Wladyka.
In her positive review for TheWrap, critic Katie Rife praised Kikuchi’s performance in the quirky dramedy:
“Whenever the quirk threatens to overwhelm the emotion in ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,’ Kubota Wladyka turns the camera onto his star’s face, and she almost invariably brings it back into balance. This is true even in sequences where characters literally break into song and dance in the style of an old Hollywood musical, as Kinkuchi’s strong, singular presence immerses the viewer in her character’s whimsical imagination and confusing emotions. She makes Haru a character worth rooting for — even, or perhaps especially, when she’s making all the wrong decisions.”
This marks the fourth overall acquisition out of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Shudder picked up the horror film “Saccharine” before the festival began, A24 won a bidding war for Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” and Neon scored the queer horror movie “Leviticus.”
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