Lionsgate and Funimation Films today announced that they are partnering to bring the original, 1995, Ghost in the Shell anime feature film back to theaters for a two-day limited theatrical engagement.
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Directed by Mamoru Oshii, the original Ghost in the Shell anime movie will return to theaters on February 7 – 8, 2017 in 110 theaters across the United States.
Audiences will be able to choose between the original Japanese version with subtitles and the English dubbed version. Each will be available on different days of the engagement, beginning first with the subtitled version.
Ghost in The Shell became one of the first major breakout anime movies when introduced to western audiences in 1995, and proved seminal, influencing many popular works that followed. Ghost in the Shell was the first anime film to rank #1 on Billboard in video sales. The franchise has sold more than 1.5 million copies in total.
The franchise has seen a resurgence in popularity recently with the release of Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie in 2016 and the upcoming release of a new live action Ghost in the Shell movie, set to release at the end of March.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring the original Ghost in the Shell movie back to U.S. theaters,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation, in a statement. “Ghost in the Shell is truly a seminal work in anime cinema and it helped firmly establish a market for the genre with U.S. movie audiences.”
“Ghost in the Shell is an iconic property and it is great that fans will be able to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 20 years,’ said Kevin Carney, VP Marketing Lionsgate. “Many fans will be seeing the movie in a theater for the first time and Funimation has been a terrific partner to help make this possible.”
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Lionsgate will be releasing a new, deluxe collector’s edition of the remastered original Ghost in the Shell on Blu-Ray with Digital HD. This new edition will feature steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork and will be available in retail outlets beginning March 7, 2017.
