GKIDS Brings the Evangelion 30th Movie Fest to North American Theaters for Two Nights

What GKIDS announced

GKIDS has set a two night theatrical event, the Evangelion 30th Movie Fest, that returns two of the franchise's defining films to North American screens. According to GKIDS, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth will screen on July 21, followed by The End of Evangelion on July 22. The distributor says tickets are on sale now through its site and participating theater box offices, with showtimes presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

The films returning to the big screen

Death & Rebirth first opened in Japan on March 15, 1997. It pairs Evangelion: Death, a compilation that reworks footage from the original television series, with Evangelion: Rebirth, the opening stretch of the film continuity's alternative ending. GKIDS notes that the July 21 screening marks the first time the Death (True)2 and Rebirth version has played theatrically in North America, which is the standout hook of this run for longtime fans.

The End of Evangelion arrived later in 1997 as a feature length reimagining of the series' final two episodes. As our catalog synopsis describes it, SEELE orders an all out assault on NERV while Shinji is pushed to the edge of his sanity and forced to decide the fate of humanity. It remains one of the most debated endings in anime, and seeing it projected is a rare event outside Japan.

A 30th anniversary victory lap

The festival marks 30 years since Neon Genesis Evangelion first aired in 1995. The series was created and directed by Hideaki Anno, whose apocalyptic vision of teenage pilots, giant Evas, and encroaching Angels reshaped the medium and still anchors the property three decades later. The two films on offer bracket that legacy, from the compilation that bridged the show to its film era to the polarizing finale that closed it.

For fans in the United States