The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future!

Due to their continuous popularity, the idols of 765 Production are busy with their work, such as promoting their film The Sleeping Be@uty Movie, along with the news of Miki Hoshii being cast for a Hollywood film and Chihaya Kisaragi being invited for a recording session in New York City. The idols return to their office, where Producer announces their upcoming arena concert and a training camp where they can prepare for the concert. He also invites seven idols-in-training as their backup dancers and chooses Haruka Amami as the idol's leader. At the Wakasa Inn, 765 Pro idols meet the dancers Minako Satake, Nao Yokoyama, Yuriko Nanao, Shiho Kitazawa, Serika Hakozaki, Anna Mochizuki, and Kana Yabuki. The idols-in-training then experience vigorous rehearsals along with the idols. Following a visit from media for interviews and the final rehearsal, Haruka learns from Kana that she has inspired her to become an idol and autographs her panda plushie. Later, Producer announces leaving 765 Production temporarily for Hollywood to attend a business training to improve himself as a producer. The idols become saddened, but Haruka encourages them to make the concert successful for Producer's sake. Following the training camp, Producer invites the dancers to join the idols' miniconcerts to gain stage experience. Kana trips and falls while dancing during Haruka, Chihaya, and Azusa Miura's miniconcert, resulting in the incident being sensationalized in a magazine. The backup dancers inform 765 Production about their stagnant rehearsals, while Haruka questions Kana's absence. Producer decides to have a joint rehearsals between the idols and the dancers. During their practice session, Anna informs Haruka that Kana is going to quit as an idol. Shiho insists on continuing with the rehearsal despite losing a member, but Haruka wants to know Kana's reason for giving up. Haruka manages to get in touch with Kana over the phone and discerns that she is forcing herself to quit. She motivates everybody to help her in finding Kana, during which they discover that she has gained weight due to stress eating and learn that this is the reason for her missing the rehearsals. The idols bring the dancers to their concert's venue, where Haruka gives a heartfelt speech. This encourages Kana to continue pursuing being an idol. On the day of the concert, the idols and the dancers deliver a successful performance. Sometime after the concert, the idols bid Producer farewell as he boards a plane and continue their work elsewhere. In a post-credits scene, a still image shows 765 Pro idols reuniting with Producer. ==Voice cast==

• Eriko Nakamura as Haruka Amami • Daichi Kanbara as Hokuto Ijūin • Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Shōta Mitarai • Mitsuaki Hoshino as Reporter Yoshizawa ==Production==

Before the event commemorating the 7th anniversary of The Idolmaster franchise in June 2012, Aniplex producer Hironori Toba began talks to produce an original video animation (OVA) project. Toba began working with director Atsushi Nishigori about the project following the conclusion of The Idolmaster Shiny Festa in October 2012. It was intended to be a 60-minute OVA film but as "various ideas and elements" were incorporated with it, the project was changed into a theatrical film. The full title of the film was revealed in April 2013. In November 2013, Eri Ōzeki, Ibuki Kido, Miku Itō, Momo Asakura, Shiina Natsukawa, Sora Amamiya, and Yui Watanabe were revealed to be voicing Minako Satake, Kana Yabuki, Yuriko Nanao, Serika Hakozaki, Anna Mochizuki, Shiho Kitazawa, and Nao Yokoyama, the characters first introduced in the mobile game The Idolmaster Million Live!, respectively. The inclusion of the Million Live! characters was suggested by The Idolmaster video game series director Akihiro Ishihara. ==Music==

Ryuuichi Takada served as the composer for The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future!. In September 2013, the insert song for the film was revealed as . In November 2013, the main theme song "Masterpiece", written by Yura and composed by Satoru Kōsaki, and the ending theme song , written by Yuriko Mori and composed by Kyo, were revealed. Nippon Columbia released the opening theme song's single, which includes the coupling song , in Japan on January 29, 2014, and the film's original soundtrack on February 5. The insert song's single, which includes the coupling song , was released in Japan on June 18, 2014. The ending theme songs's single, which includes the coupling song "Fate of the World", was released in Japan on August 13, 2014; it was previously scheduled to be released on July 16. ==Marketing==

The commemorative tickets for The Idolmaster Movie production announcement sold at Anime Contents Expo in March 2013 are bundled with a drama CD titled starring Ōtsuka as President, Akabane as Producer, and Takita as Kotori, in which President gives a message for aspiring producers and explains the wonders of 765 Production. The trailer for the film was released on December 28, 2013, which featured the opening theme song. Newtype, which released its February issue featuring Haruka drawn by Nishigori as the cover on January 10, 2014, collaborated with six book retailers (Animate, Gamers, Toranoana, Wonder Goo, Tsutaya, and Lawson) for the first time in the magazine's history to offer buyers special posters with different characters from the film that were assigned to each retailers. The magazine issue was sold out in 10 days following its release. A prologue volume of The Idolmaster manga series (listed as "Volume 0") created by Takahashi and The Idolmaster manga illustrator Mana, titled The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! Signs, was given during the second week of the film's release. Its story takes place between the anime series and the film. The special edition of the manga's third volume, which was released on August 4, 2014, is bundled with a booklet titled The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! 0+. It contains Signs as a chapter and a new 44-page chapter titled "The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! Longing", which features the backup dancers' point of view during the training camp. Promotional partners for the film included the T-shirt brand Beams; Lawson, which sold a limited advance ticket bundled with a drama CD titled The Idolmaster Lawson Original Drama Disk through Loppi. It details Haruka, Chihaya, Yukiho, and Takane promoting the arena concert during a radio show hosted by DJ Tetsuya Karukuchi; and Lotteria. ==Release==

Theatrical The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! was released in Japan on January 25, 2014. During the stage greeting attended by Nakamura, Hara, Numakura, and Imai at Shinjuku Wald 9 in April 2014, an individual was reported to have seen the film 102 times. Japanese entertainment blog Hachima Kikō speculated the free The Idolmaster goods that came in every ticket purchase, which were being changed weekly throughout the film's theatrical run, were the reason behind the filmgoer's streak. VideoMaster Version The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! ended its theatrical run on May 30, 2014. The upcoming home video release, which was first announced in the middle of that month, was "newly mastered" for the film's rerelease. The new version, subtitled , was released in 40 theaters in Japan from September 19 to October 10, 2014. Home media The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on October 8, 2014. Their limited editions are bundled with a drama CD titled Perfect Idol: The Movie, which features the encore part of the arena concert that is not seen in the film, and a mook titled The Idolmaster Movie Fan Book: Memorial Master & Ogi Star Memoris 2. The "Shiny Festa Anime Blu-ray Bundle Edition" is included with the three animated episodes in The Idolmaster Shiny Festa video game, the drama CD, and the mook. The Idolmaster official YouTube channel streamed the film from August 19 to September 1, 2020. ==Reception==

Box office The Idolmaster Movie: Beyond the Brilliant Future! grossed million in Japan and in South Korea, for a worldwide total of million. The film earned in its opening weekend in Japan, ranking fifth at the box office. It grossed by the end of its theatrical run. VideoMaster Version added to the overall box office. Accolades ==Future==

Potential second The Idolmaster film In April 2014, Yūma Takahashi, the advertising producer for The Idolmaster anime series, stated that a second film of the franchise was "not completely out of the question." It began airing in Japan on January 10, 2015. An anime television adaptation of Million Live! was confirmed in July 2020. In January 2023, the voice actresses of the backup dancers in the film were revealed to be returning to reprise their roles. The following month, Akabane, Ōtsuka, and Takita were confirmed to be returning for the anime series, with Akabane's updated role as the Chief Producer. All episodes were theatrically released in three parts in Japan beginning August 2023 before its broadcast on October 8. ==Notes==