Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut Unbroken has finally opened in Japan, where the main character endures torture as a prisoner of war and where some have called for a boycott of the film.

There were concerns right-wing extremists may try to disrupt the opening, which is taking place more than a year after the movie was released in the rest of the world.

Angelina Jolie
Angelina with the film’s stars Miyavi and Jack O’Connell (Ian West/PA)

The crowd at the Theatre Image Forum in Tokyo appeared engrossed in the production, flinching at the torture scenes and sympathising with the hero, Louis Zamperini, played by British actor Jack O’Connell.

The distributor said it decided to go ahead, as it felt that various views on war should be expressed.

Unbroken Angelina Jolie
The film has opened in Japan a year after the rest of the world (Koji Sasahara/AP/PA)

Unbroken, produced and directed by Angelina, is based on the true story of Louis “Louie” Zamperini, an Olympic athlete from the US who was tortured in Second World War prison camps in Japan.