The Yuri On Ice Movie Has Been Canceled

Yuri on Ice was once very popular, and to capitalize on that, animation studio MAPPA started work on a follow-up movie. After more than half a decade of production, the movie has now been canceled, and looks unlikely ever to return.

MAPPA, alongside the team behind the Yuri on Ice Project, announced on Twitter today that Yuri on Ice: Ice Adolescence has been canceled. The studio announced the cancellation with a statement on Twitter, saying the production was stopped for “various circumstances.”

“Regarding the postponed release of Yuri on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence, we have come to the decision to unfortunately cancel its production,” the statement reads. “We deeply apologize for not being able to meet the expectations of all those who have been waiting and have continued to support us throughout these years. The production committee and staff have been in constant discussions to create and to deliver the movie, but due to various circumstances, we have had to make the difficult decision to stop the production.”

No more information has been given about the “various circumstances” cited by MAPPA in the statement, but one likely reason is the potential for a return on investment. MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka previously noted that despite the popularity of the anime series, it failed to make a profit. Given the film has been in production for a number of years and seemed to not have been coming anytime soon, it’s likely the film would not have made back its large budget.

Fans are disappointed, though, as Yuri on Ice was one of the first major anime to feature LGBT relationships as a core part of the story. Not much was known about the film, but a teaser trailer released for the film in 2018 suggested it would have been a prequel to the anime series.