HIDIVE announces Ninja Scroll 30th anniversary theatrical re-release

Anime streaming service HIDIVE has shared a teaser trailer for a theatrical re-release of the 1993 classic anime movie Ninja Scroll.

To celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary, HIDIVE, in conjunction with Iconic Events, is bringing Ninja Scroll back to American theaters this September as part of Anime Expo Cinema Nights. Ninja Scroll will play in theaters across America on September 11, 12, and 15, 2024. The Anime Expo Cinema Nights showings of Ninja Scroll will include an interview with the movie's director Yoshiaki Kawajiri and will feature both the original Japanese with subtitles (September 11 and 15) and the English dub (September 12).

Ninja Scroll was originally released in Japan in 1993, with animation by Madhouse, the studio that also animated the 1998 Trigun series, Overlord and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. The English dub of the movie was distributed by the now-defunct Manga Entertainment. The movie is widely regarded as a classic and has markedly influenced filmmakers both in Japan and internationally. Notably, Ninja Scroll is cited as a major influence on The Matrix and Yoshiaki Kawajiri contributed to two segments of the Animatrix anthology.

In addition to the 30th-anniversary re-release of Ninja Scroll, the slate of the other anime movies included in the 2024-2025 Anime Expo Cinema nights has been revealed. Other featured movies include visionary director Satoshi Kon's stylish cyberpunk movie Paprika, the Cowboy Bebop feature film, and Legend - 43, featuring idol group Babymetal in concert. The locations of participating theaters have not yet been announced, however, interested fans can sign up for updates directly from Iconic Events here.

There is no word on a possible streaming release of Ninja Scroll. HIDIVE did previously own the streaming rights to the movie and the September theatrical run may signal that HIDIVE has regained the rights. While the original Ninja Scroll movie is not currently available for streaming as of this writing, the sequel Ninja Scroll: The Series is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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