Although it is debatable where Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 5 - Blood Prison is set in the timeline of the main series due to confusing story elements, it is likely to fall somewhere after episode 220 during the "Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown" and "Paradise Life on a Boat" arcs.
The movie was released in theaters on July 30, 2011, earning 840 million yen in box office revenue. The DVD version was made available on April 27, 2012 in Japan. Neon Alley began streaming the film on January 26, 2014 and Viz Media released it on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on February 18, 2014.
While the previous movies were produced with the participation of the television series' screenplay writers, Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 5 - Blood Prison was entrusted to the mystery writer Akira Higashiyama. For this reason, "Shippuuden" was removed from the Japanese original title.