Why Crunchyroll refuses to do subbed theatrical screenings of DB anime/film material in the United States?

[TechExpert2021]

Is there any valid reason why Funimation/Crunchyroll doesn't do subbed theatrical screenings of DB anime material in the U.S.? They do subbed and dubbed screenings with other anime here like One Piece and for some reason, they couldn’t do the same with Dragon Ball.

Is it because they thought the Japanese character voices would turn off American movie-goers?

[VegettoEX]

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which was the first product released under the new Crunchyroll banner, received both subtitled and dubbed theatrical screenings in America.

By the time the Daima premiere comes around, that series will already have debuted subtitled on streaming platforms. There's nothing "new" to debut there. I'm not personally interested in going to see it, but I can understand why only having it dubbed in theaters makes sense for a promotional push.

This really doesn't strike me much as a conversation piece right now -- unless, if, and when another theatrical movie comes around and it somehow doesn't get a subtitled screening.

[Dbzk1999]

As mentioned by VegettoEX, they literally had both dubbed and subbed screenings for Super Hero, and I can attest to it, since my friend and I went to go see the subbed version. The same thing was done for DBS Broly, so, with all due respect, it’s nothing to do with nonsense like “they think the Japanese voices would turn off American movie-goers”

[VegettoEX]

The same thing was done for DBS Broly, so, with all due respect, it’s nothing to do with nonsense like “they think the Japanese voices would turn off American movie-goers”

Broly (still under the FUNimation banner at the time) had subtitled screenings internationally, but here in America it was definitely dub-only -- I wouldn't have seen it that way unless I had to!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

As big of a deal as a new TV anime like Dragon Ball Daima is its not as big in a theatrical context, because cinemas are first and foremost for movies. Episodes of a series getting screenings is a novelty but it probably won't break any box office records for anime movies (as Broly did), so as VegettoEX said its a niche as-is, why cater to an even smaller audience if there's no perceivable benefit? Dubbed screenings will offer something the simulcast, as of this point isn't offering.