The H Collective, a global film finance, production, marketing and distribution company, announced today that it has secured investment funding from Rakuten, Inc., a global leader in internet services headquartered in Tokyo, for its upcoming motion picture titles Brightburn and xXx 4. 

Under the investment agreement, Rakuten has provided financing to Brightburn, The H Collective’s first globally released feature film starring Elizabeth Banks and produced by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).  Sony is releasing Brightburn on May 24 to coincide with Memorial Day Weekend in the US. Rakuten will also provide financing for the fourth installment of the xXx franchise, directed by D.J. Caruso starring Vin Diesel who will reprise his role of Xander Cage.

The H Collective and Rakuten will also establish a joint venture to distribute motion pictures in Japan. The joint venture will support the release of Brightburn and distribute xXx 4 as well as the animated film, Spycies, in Japan.  Directed by Guillaume Ivernel (Dragon Hunters), The H Collective invested in Spycies, which was produced by Chinese entertainment giant and frequent collaborator, iQiyi.

The H Collective CEO, Nic Crawley said: “I couldn’t be happier to be strengthening our relationships in Asia by partnering with Rakuten – which is one of the most exciting companies in the world.  Having them invest in Brightburn, our first global release and xXx 4, is a sign of their commitment to film investments. Japan is a fantastic market, ripe with distribution opportunities given the rising quantity of cinema admissions. These are just the first steps in our new business relationship.”

“This is the next step for Rakuten to empower the entertainment industry through strategic investment,” said Mickey Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten. “I’m very excited to collaborate with The H Collective and look forward to growing our partnership to invest in international cinema and bring more great international films to Japan.”