Akira, Demon Slayer and Kiki's Delivery Service Return to Cinemas

 

©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable

A whole host of anime is returning to the big screen in the next couple of months, giving fans an opportunity to relive some classics and recent hits- or experience them for the first time. First up, fans on both sides of the pond will get another chance to see Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle. Nominated for a Golden Globe and longlisted for a BAFTA, the film earned over $795 million at the worldwide box-office, making it the highest-grossing Japanese film, the highest-grossing anime, and 5th highest-grossing non-English language film of all time, as well as the 5th highest-grossing film of 2025.

In the UK, the film broke the record for the highest-grossing anime film in the UK and Ireland when it took £3.4 million at the box-office. In the United States, it became the highest-grossing international film of all time, finally unseating Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which had held the record for 25 years.

Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba: The Movie: Infinity Castle will also be making its debut in the SCREENX format, offering an immersive 270-degree field of view. The film will be screened in Japanese with English subtitles.

Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures will also be bringing the film back to regular cinemas in North America (from March 6) and the UK and Ireland (from March 7). The film will be available both in Japanese with subtitles and dubbed in English.

In the UK, Anime Limited have announced that they will be bringing the classic anime Akira back to the big screen this April. The landmark feature film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (based on his own epic manga) will be returning to cinemas, including IMAX, screening in a 4K Restoration.

Set in the aftermath of World War III, Neo Tokyo is a lawless, neon-soaked metropolis, where biker gangs run wild. Two of these young bikers, Kaneda and Tetsuo, crash head-first into a government experiment. Tetsuo is kidnapped and experimented on, transforming him into something not quite human, and the scene is set for the most epic showdown in anime.

Originally released in Japan in 1988, the film is to this day considered one of the best Japanese animated films of all time. On its initial release in the UK and Ireland in 1991, it introduced audiences to the world of anime.

The film returns to UK and Irish cinemas from April 17. Sign up for details here.

Meanwhile, across the pond, GKIDS Films have announced that Hayao Miyazaki's classic Kiki's Delivery Service will be coming exclusively to IMAX theatres in a new 4K restoration.

The release marks the first time that Kiki's Delivery Service has ever screened in IMAX. It follows last year's announcement that GKIDS would be partnering with IMAX to bring 4K restorations of Studio Ghibli films to the Really Big Screen. Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 feature follows the adventures of a young witch.

The film will open exclusively in IMAX locations in the United States and Canada from March 13. It will screen both in Japanese with subtitles and with an English dub. Tickets can be purchased from here.