'Evangelion' to Get U.S. Theatrical Release

TOKYO -- The latest cinematic episode of classic anime Evangelion is to get a theatrical release in the U.S. in January 2011.

EVANGELION 2.0: YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE, is being distributed by Cinema Asia Releasing, Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment.

A spokesperson for Eleven Arts told The Hollywood Reporter that the number of screens was still under negotiation but that they were aiming at “70 to 100.”

Evangelion 2.0 did over $40 million at the Japanese box office, making it one of the top five grossing films of last year.

This is the second part of a four film adaptation of Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion TV animation series that was first aired in the 1990s, but retains a huge cult following today.

Eleven Arts has been releasing Japanese anime titles for the U.S. home entertainment market but illegal downloading of films has hit the sector hard. Fans often make their own subtitled versions and then upload them onto file-sharing sites. 

The company has previously handled stateside theatrical releases for live-action Japanese fare including Yoji Yamada’s Love and Honor.

Cinema Asia Releasing is new distribution company aiming to theatrical releases of five to eight Asian features in the U.S.

FUNimation Entertainment has previously released big anime titles to the American market such as Dragon Ball and Full Metal Alchemist.