Japanese real estate company releases AI shark movie to explain housing crisis

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A Japanese real estate firm is getting a lot of attention online for a unique movie: an AI-created shark thriller that also cleverly explains the problems with housing in Japan.

The AI Shark Movie, pitting a terrifying, artificially intelligent shark against a Kung Fu master in an abandoned house, is delightfully strange and over-the-top.

The movie centers around a man who comes home to his family’s house, only to find it’s been occupied by a shark. The next 20 minutes are a wild ride of kung fu action, emotional family moments, and delightfully cheesy special effects – it’s as over-the-top and fun as the original Sharknado.

Although seeing an elderly martial arts expert kick a shark through a wall and then pursue it down a mountainside is certainly surprising, the movie Empty House Shark actually has a meaningful point to make.

Shark movie highlights growing housing crises

The film highlights a recent finding: Japan has nine million empty homes, according to a survey by the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as shared by the filmmaker on X.

The number of empty houses is increasing, often because of larger problems within the system. With my project, [Empty House Shark], I wanted to explore if I could bring attention to this issue by using sharks as a symbol.

While the hero battles a shark, the movie includes a surprisingly detailed explanation of Japanese property taxes. The film explains that owning a building on land significantly lowers taxes, but tearing it down eliminates those savings and could actually increase the tax bill by as much as six times.

As a result, Japan continues to struggle with a growing number of empty homes, leading to a serious housing problem. The film suggests that young people can help fix this, and playfully depicts two high school girls defeating a shark with a futuristic spray and an electric guitar, reminiscent of the movie Ghostbusters.

One of the girls explained that they’ve successfully addressed the immediate danger of crumbling, abandoned homes. However, the underlying issues remain. Japan still has many vacant properties, and she believes it’s now up to their generation to find lasting solutions.

People enjoyed the film’s lighthearted humor, but also appreciated that it addressed an important and increasingly common problem in Japan.

One person jokingly suggested that if we don’t address the issue of empty houses, we’ll have a ‘shark attack’ on our hands.

Another viewer said the movie was so forgettable they couldn’t recall any details, except for a lingering thought about the issue of abandoned houses. They felt completely manipulated while watching it.

Japan has seen some unusual property listings this year, including a six-story castle that went on sale in March for only $64,000.

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2026-04-27 13:51