Rental Family to Begin Streaming on Hulu on February 18
Searchlight Pictures has announced that the 2025 comedy-drama Rental Family will begin streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ (for bundle subscribers in the U.S.) on February 18, 2026.
Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family stars Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser as a once-promising American actor searching for purpose and belonging in a society where he feels increasingly adrift.
An unexpected acting call leads him to a “rental family” agency, where he is hired to step into surrogate roles for strangers seeking connection.
As performance blurs into reality, the experience awakens his empathy and compassion, drawing him deeply into his clients’ lives and pulling him off-script whenever his heart takes over.
Searchlight Pictures’ Rental Family from HIKARI has captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike. Following its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it went on to win numerous festival audience awards, including at the Chicago, Woodstock, Middleburg, Hawaii, and Heartland Film Festivals.
The film is Rotten Tomatoes Verified Hot with a 96% Popcornmeter score and holds an 88% Certified Fresh Tomatometer rating from critics. It grossed $20.6 million worldwide, with $10 million from North American theaters and $10.6 million from international markets.
Directed, co-written, and produced by HIKARI, Rental Family stars Oscar winner Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, The Whale), Emmy nominee Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, newcomer Shannon Mahina Gorman, who was nominated for a CCA Award for her performance, and iconic actor Akira Emoto.
With a screenplay by HIKARI and Stephen Blahut, the film is produced by Sight Unseen Pictures’ Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev, as well as Knockonwood’s Shin Yamaguchi. The movie was rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some strong language, and suggestive material.
