Finally, IMAX has announced that the IMAX version of the 4K remaster of Akira will be released in U.S. theaters for a limited engagement starting September 24, 2020.
The IMAX release comes at a great time as anime fans are finally being able to see some of the older films and TV shows from Japan that have never been released on a wide scale in the United States. With this release, many fans will finally get to see this beloved classic that has been brought to the big screen for the first time.
More about Akira
Akira has been in theaters in Japan for two weeks and has already brought in over $5 million, a fantastic achievement for a film that has not been released to the world outside of Japan until now. Fans can expect the U.S. release to bring in similar numbers, or maybe even more since American audiences are so hungry for an older animated film from Japan.
The film has received much critical acclaim since its release, but it has yet to be praised for its animation, which is the primary reason why it has never been released in a 4K HD format.
Reviews on Akira
Akira had an unprecedented 70 million-page views on the stream for its Japanese theatrical release, and it will be interesting to see what the reaction is like for this release, which, while being a 4K HD release, does not have the highest quality of animation.
While the U.S. release date is a few weeks away, fans in Japan are already talking about when the 4K remaster will be coming to Blu-ray, which was recently confirmed by Akira director Katsuhiro Otomo. Otomo has stated that he wants the 4K Blu-ray to include all of the voice cast from the original Japanese film, in addition to the color correction and the enhancements.
Conclusion
The original Akira movie was released in 1988 and was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo and co-written by Shinji Higuchi. Akira was a big hit for the studio, going on to win the Japanese Academy Award for best animation. The movie also became a cult classic for anime fans, becoming the first animated film to be used in the Japanese national education curriculum.
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