Kids & family creator content and IP company pocket.watch (pocket.watch) and the Kaji family’s Sunlight Entertainment announce today the wide theatrical release for their first feature film, Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure, premiering on 2,100 screens in theaters nationwide August 16. The film blends live-action sequences with anime inspired by Ryan’s World flagship series, Titan Universe, which sees Ryan metamorphose into his animated superhero persona, Red Titan.
Building on Sunlight and pocket.watch’s trailblazing successes with Ryan’s World — such as launching the first-ever major toy line from a digital creator (earning over $1 billion at retail), premiering the first hit TV show from a digital creator (Ryan’s Mystery Playdate on Nickelodeon) and unveiling the inaugural Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon from a digital creator (from 2020 to 2023) — Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure now marks the first wide theatrical release from a digital creator. Pocket.watch and Sunlight Entertainment, will release the independent film across the United States in all major markets.
“Our decision at pocket.watch to embark on this first-of-its-kind endeavor independently with our partners, Sunlight Entertainment, stems from our incredible confidence that Ryan’s World fans will come out for a magical theatrical experience,” said Chris M. Williams, Founder & CEO at pocket.watch. “We recognize the immense potential of independently distributed theatrical releases from digital creators in shaping the future of cinema as we aim to open doors for future and fellow creators, and elevate the entire creator community.”
Synopsis: In Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure, Ryan takes to the big screen for his most epic adventure yet. When his twin sisters, Emma and Kate, get sucked into a mystical comic book, Ryan has no choice but to rise up as the great big brother he is and jump in after them. Adventures, battles, and hilarious debacles ensue, as Ryan and his friends navigate the Titan Universe and bring everyone back home safely before his parents catch on.
Sometimes referred to as “the most popular kid in the world… EVER,” Ryan started his YouTube channel in 2015, building it into a major hit with 61 million subscribers and 83 billion lifetime views — 34 billion minutes watched last year alone. Ryan’s World series and specials have expanded to 45 platforms globally, including Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu, Sky and Amazon Kids+. Ryan’s World content also anchors Ryan and Friends, the most widely distributed kids FAST channel in the U.S., and Ryan and Friends Plus, the largest independent kids’ SVOD service in the U.S.
Data from Tubular Labs (tubularlabs.com) shows that the Ryan’s World YouTube channel hit 17.9M unique views originating in the U.S. in February 2024, a 37% increase month-over-month. Domestic minutes watched for Ryan’s World also saw 26% more minutes watched month-over-month in February, to 755.5M. The analytics outlet notes that overall, U.S. minutes watched were down for 15 of the top 20 individual creators across YouTube and Facebook, making Ryan’s World a standout.
“Making a feature film has been a dream of ours that became a reality,” said Shion Kaji, Ryan’s father and CEO of Sunlight Entertainment. “We are over the Moon that we will be able to share our newest, biggest adventure yet and connect with even more fans who love to laugh, play and learn like we do when Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure hits theaters this August.”
The movie features the stars of Ryan’s World, the Kaji family, playing themselves: Ryan Kaji, Shion Kaji, Loann Kaji, Emma Kaji and Kate Kaji. Pocket.watch is partnered with massively popular creators and their combined roster of 50+ partners has over 1 Billion subscribers on YouTube. Pocket.watch tapped into its roster of 50-plus partner creators (combined 1 billion-plus subscribers on YouTube) for additional cast, including Evangeline Lomelino of GEM Sisters as Aiden (1.3M YT subs; and 700M+ lifetime views across GEM channels), Dan Rhodes as himself (35.8M followers across TikTok and YouTube; 17.5B YT views on YouTube — the most viewed magician channel of all time on the platform; YouTube Top 10 Creator of 2022) and Stella Wallace of The Stella Show as Rylexa (1.8M YT subs; 1B+ lifetime views).
“Ryan’s authenticity has been the driving force behind his success in connecting to millions of viewers around the world, and I am honored to have the privilege of directing his first-ever movie, transitioning him from YouTube star to movie star,” said Albie Hecht, Chief Content Officer at pocket.watch and producer & director of Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure. “This partnership will be a first of its kind, bringing a brilliant YouTube creator’s popularity to the big screen, and opening doors for other creators who follow him.”
Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure is produced by Sunlight Entertainment’s Shion Kaji and Loann Kaji, along with pocket.watch’s Albie Hecht, who also serves as director. The animation was produced by Shin-Ei Animation in Japan (Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan). The film is executive produced by pocket.watch’s Chris M. Williams. Diondra Meravi serves as supervising producer. Chase Landau and Rose Frankel from pocket.watch are co-producers. Screenplay by Rose Frankel, with story by Shion Kaji and Rose Frankel.
