Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman

Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman (钢铁飞龙之再见奥特曼) is a crossover movie between the chracters of Blue Arc Studios' Dragon Force, and Ultraman.

Synopsis
Ultraman's home world in Nebula M78 is destroyed by invaders, so he flees to China where he has 2 children (how or with whom is unknown and never explained). Years later, Ultraman returns and inserts his energy into a containment chamber to create an artifact known as the Genesis Crystal Stone, which drains his powers away in the process. It is revealed that Ultraman is now working for an evil cult. If the Genesis Crystal Stone is mishandled, the entire Earth will be destroyed. It's up to the Dragon Force of GSB to put a stop to Ultraman.

Live Action Promotion
On July 10 2017, a press conference was held by Blue Arc to promote the movie, where "Ultraman" (Really a man in shorts, a mask, and lots of body paint) appeared along with some of the cast and the director, Tommy Wang. The Ultraman "suit"'s hideous appearance, as well as the fact that it was clearly not authorized by Tsuburaya, spawned many negative comments on multiple platforms.

Reception
Based on Douban Movie's review aggregator, the movie scored 2.5 out of 10 stars (As at the time of this page's writing), with many comments expressing their dislike towards Ultraman's inclusion and portrayal in the movie. Trailers on Youtube also received the same comments, calling it a "crappy domestic ripoff". Even Ultraman Dyna star Takeshi Tsuruno, who has previously played (and contines to reprise) the role of Shin Asuka, openly expressed his disgust towards the movie and its promotional material, calling out the "fake Ultraman". Dragon Force series creator Kazuya Hatazawa was also disappointed in the movie, and states that he has had nothing to do with its production.

The movie grossed $1,491,252 in its opening weekend and made a total gross profit of $6,120,728 as at 29 October 2017.

Contribution to Licensing Disputes
This movie was licenced by UM Corporation and TIGA Entertainment who granted Guangzhou Blue Arc/Blue Magic Culture Communications Co., Ltd. exclusive rights to produce and distribute "Ultraman 3D Animation Movies" within Mainland China, including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, for a period of three years, from January 1 2017 until December 31 2019. This was all done without the permission or knowledge of Tsuburaya Productions, further fueling the then-ongoing licensing disputes for Ultraman internationally.

A dragon that appears in the movie also uses the roars of the Legendary Pictures Godzilla. Neither Toho or Legendary Pictures seemed to have taken action against Blue Arc, however.

Tsuburaya Productions released the following statement regarding the movie:

"On July 10th, 2017, Guangzhou Bluearc Animation Studio, a Chinese corporation based out of Shanghai, China, issued an announcement for their latest production using "Ultraman Series Characters", and entitled "Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman" [Mandarin title: Gāngtiě fēilóng zhī zàijiàn àotèmàn, scheduled for release this October]. Regarding this announcement, we were completely unaware of their production, and the picture was made without our authorization or supervision. Also, use of various Ultraman characters and footage in this presentation/trailer seriously damages the Ultraman brand, so these actions should be resolutely condemned, and likewise deemed as absolutely unacceptable. Now, vis-à-vis the handling of usage rights concerning the original Ultraman series productions ("Ultra Q", "Ultraman", "Ultra Seven", "Return of Ultraman", "Ultraman Ace" and "Ultraman Taro"), outside of Japan; these long-term disputes are still being pursued in several territories. Regardless, in each and every judgment, so far, we have been persistently declared the legitimate producers of the Ultraman series, and holders of all respective copyrights, therein. Furthermore, all associated rights to create new productions, such as this aforementioned [Chinese] production, or any modification or adaptation of the Ultraman Series Characters, new or existing, still belongs solely to our company. Based on the above, we intend to take decisive measures, including vigorous legal action, against the Chinese companies who willfully participated in and made this presentation trailer, and additionally, all parties involved in the production of the picture, itself. We are deeply remorseful if this situation has been the cause of any concern and/or inconvenience; we also sincerely apologize from the bottom of our hearts to our valued clients, shareholders, and the fans of the Ultraman Series, as we look forward to your continued patronage and support. Thank you for your consideration."

- Shinichi Oka, President of Tsuburaya Productions, July 19 2017. Translated by August Ragone.

On November 20, 2017, through a Los Angeles court ruling by Judge Andre Birotte Jr, Tsuburaya won the lawsuit against Chaiyo and affiliate groups, which in turn banned the film to be released worldwide.

Blue Arc's website mentions that this movie is "Part 1", meaning that they were going to make a movie series out of these characters. However, with the recent court rulings, it can be assumed that the entire project is scrapped.

Cast

 * Yong Hou (侯勇): Ultraman (奥特曼)
 * Gina Jin (金晨): Bao Feng (暴风)
 * Jacky Heung (向佐): Huo Shen (火神)
 * Shaowen Hao (郝劭文): Tie Quan (铁拳)
 * Jingjing Qu (屈菁菁): Maggie
 * Wowkie Zhang (大张伟): Xiao Xing (小星)
 * Zheming Qu (曲哲明): Shen Lan (深蓝)
 * Yunxi Luo (罗云熙): Chi Yan (炽焰)
 * Duo Wang (汪铎): Yi Te (伊特)

Theme Song
TBA