Source: Iconic Events Releasing press release
Official Site: https://www.iconicreleasing.com/ax-cinema-nights/
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen (MediaLab Public Relations)
Los Angeles, CA – Iconic Events Releasing, a company specializing in distributing limited engagement theatrical events to movie theatres, has announced an extraordinary lineup of acclaimed classic anime films scheduled to screen across the U.S. and select cities in Canada as part of the latest edition of Anime Expo Cinema Nights (“AX Cinema Nights”). These immersive, experiential community screenings commence in September and continue into Q2 of 2025. Subtitled and dubbed screenings will be presented for most titles.
Each film will be shown in more than 500 theatres throughout North America.
This season’s AX Cinema Nights program includes some of the most influential anime films ever made. The lineup includes the 30th anniversary theatrical release of the acclaimed, samurai period action adventure, NINJA SCROLL, the futurist cyberpunk mindbender, METROPOLIS 2001, based on a story by the “Godfather of Manga,” Osamu Tezuka, a special 15th Anniversary 4K restoration of director Satoshi Kon’s groundbreaking anime, PAPRIKA, and the wildly popular COWBOY BEBOP THE MOVIE, the feature film based on the beloved anime series about a team of swashbuckling fortune hunters. This year’s program also includes BABYMETAL LEGEND 43 – THE MOVIE, a concert film depicting Japan’s popular three-member metal dance unit.
Anime fans are invited to stay tuned as additional AX Cinema Nights features for 2024 and 2025 will be announced very soon!
Tickets, participating theatres, and more information are available at: https://www.ax-cinemanights.com/
Film descriptions and screening dates and info follows below:
Photo courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing. ©1993 Yoshiaki Kawajiri/Mad House/JVC/TOHO Co. LTD/Movic Inc.
NINJA SCROLL 30th Anniversary (HIDIVE)
Screens Sept. 11th (sub), Sept. 12th (dub) Sept. 15th (encore of choice)
When Jubei saves a young ninja woman from the unthinkable, he assumes that’s the end of it. To his surprise, it’s only just the beginning. Together, the two investigate the mysterious deaths of an entire village which uncovers a conspiracy of demonic proportions! Getting closer to the truth, the demonic forces will stop at nothing to silence Jubei and his companion for good!
Photo courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing. ©2001 TEZUKA Productions/METROPOLIS Project
OSAMU TEZUKA’S METROPOLIS 2001 (Sony Pictures)
Screens Nov. 4th (sub), Nov. 7th (dub), Nov. 10t (encore of choice)
In the late 1940s, long before ASTRO BOY and KIMBA THE WHITE LION established Osamu Tezuka as one of the most influential animators of all time, the legendary illustrator created the classic manga Metropolis. Set in the future, METROPOLIS is a grand city-state populated by humans and robots, the cohabitants of a strictly segmented society. Detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Ken-ichi search for a rebel scientist, to arrest him and seize his latest creation, Tima, a beautiful young girl. But when they locate him, Shunsaku quickly realizes that the eccentric genius is protected by a powerful man and beyond their reach. A retro-futuristic cautionary tale, METROPOLIS is spectacularly rendered, combining the best in Japanese cel animation with the latest in digital technology.
Photo courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing. ©2024 Amuse Inc.
BABYMETAL LEGEND 43 – THE MOVIE (Live Viewing Japan)
Screens Dec. 11th & Dec. 15th
BABYMETAL held their largest scale world tour "BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2023 - 2024" from 2023 to 2024. The headline tour, excluding festivals and guest acts, drew a cumulative audience of more than 280,000 people for a total of 98 performances. The final chapter of the world tour, the first Okinawa performance "TOUR FINAL IN JAPAN LEGEND - 43", has been fully filmed. The film is BABYMETAL's first live film that allows viewers to experience all the diverse music, unique worldview, production that only a tour final can offer, and the overwhelming performance of BABYMETAL, which has evolved even further during their world tour.
Photo courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing. ©2006 Madhouse, Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
PAPRIKA 4K 15th Anniversary (Sony Pictures Classics)
Screens Jan. 8th (sub), Jan. 9th (dub), Jan. 12th (encore of choice)
Anime Expo Cinema Nights presents the final film by visionary director Satoshi Kon with his mind-bending thriller, PAPRIKA, which has been restored in 4K for the first time. When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.
Photo courtesy of Iconic Events Releasing. ©2001 Sunrise • Bones • Bandai Visual.
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (Sony Pictures)
Screens Feb. 5th (sub), Feb. 6th (dub), Feb. 9th (encore of choice)
Caught up in a world of dreams, lost in the cruelty of reality. What should have been an easy bounty turns into biological war after a terrorist gets hold of a deadly virus. Drawn in by the pretty price on the mastermind’s head, Spike and the Bebop crew are ready to collect a much-needed reward. Unfortunately, the gang’s about to find themselves in more trouble than money when the terrorist threatens to unleash the virus on Halloween –effectively killing everyone on Mars. With little time and leads that seem more dreamy than helpful, they’ll have to use their own bag of tricks to stop a dangerous plot.
About Anime Expo
Anime Expo brings together fans and industry from Japan, the U.S and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Taking place every year since 1992, the Anime Expo convention features the best in Japanese animation, popular art, entertainment, music, fashion, and video games. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is the parent company that presents Anime Expo and is now presenting the theatrical series, “AX Cinema Nights.”
About Iconic Events Releasing
Iconic Events Releasing is reinventing event cinema - focusing on bringing fans closer to the content that they love. Offering a variety of one-of-a-kind live and captured entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide, Iconic Events Releasing creates unique experiences by taking audiences behind the scenes and offering intriguing extras, audience Q&As, backstage footage, and interviews with cast and crew creating the ultimate VIP experience. Theatrical releases range from live sports (UFC Live) to classic anime (AX Cinema Nights) to music (David Bryne, David Bowie), documentaries (The Lost Weekend), horror films (Terrifier Franchise), and faith-focused features (God of Heaven and Earth). The Iconic Events Releasing’s team is comprised of industry experts with over 80+ years of content acquisition, distribution and marketing, publicity, and sponsorship experience. To learn more visit www.iconicreleasing.com.