AX Cinema Nights Kicks off In September

Iconic Events and Anime Expo present classic anime films in 500+ theaters in the U.S. and select cities in Canada; movies include ‘Ninja Scroll 30th Anniversary,’ and ‘Metropolis 2001.’

Iconic Events has announced the next Anime Expo Cinema Nights (“AX Cinema Nights”), which will bring a lineup of acclaimed classic anime films to theaters in the U.S. and select cities in Canada, kicking off in September and continuing into Q2 of 2025. Each film will screen in over 500 theatres throughout North America, most with subtitles and dubs.

The lineup includes the 30th anniversary theatrical release of the 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 anime, Paprika; and the popular Cowboy Bebop the Movie, based on the anime series about a team of swashbuckling fortune hunters. The program also includes BABYMETAL Legend 43 – The Movie, a concert film depicting Japan’s popular three-member metal dance unit.

Additional information and tickets are available here.

Here’s the 2024 lineup:

Ninja Scroll 30th Anniversary (HIDIVE)

Screens September 11 (sub), September 12 (dub), September 15 (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!

Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis 2001 (Sony Pictures)

Screens November 4 (sub), November 7 (dub), November 10 (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 a powerful man protects the eccentric genius and is beyond their reach. A retro-futuristic cautionary tale, Metropolis’ rendering combines Japanese cel animation with the latest digital technology.

BABYMETAL Legend 43 – The Movie (Live Viewing Japan)

Screens December 11, December 15

BABYMETAL world tour "BABYMETAL World Tour 2023 - 2024" ran 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. “Tour Final in Japan Legend – 43,” Okinawa performance filmed in its entirety, allows fans to experience it firsthand.

Here’s the Q1 2025 lineup:

Paprika 4K 15th Anniversary (Sony Pictures Classics)

Screens January 8 (sub), January 9 (dub), January 12 (encore of choice)

Paprika, director Satoshi Kon’s mind-bending thriller, will screen in restored 4K for the first time. When someone steals a machine which allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Sony Pictures)

Screens February 5 (sub), February 6 (dub), February 9 (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.

Source: Anime Expo

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.