Ghost in the Shell Coming to IMAX for the First Time

IMAX and Lionsgate have announced that tickets are now on sale for the world-renowned sci-fi classic Ghost In The Shell, based on the manga series of the same name by Masamune Shirow. While certainly not the first major anime to break through to Western audiences (with that honor resting with Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 film, Akira), the sleek, meticulously animated feature film achieved unprecedented sales success in the mid-90s, serving as the catalyst for a massive multimedia franchise whose fandom continues to span the globe. In the decades since, it has been solidified as a cornerstone for the cyberpunk subgenre, and for modern anime as a whole.

After its home re-release on Blu-ray and UHD 4K last year, it is now coming exclusively to IMAX screens for the first time ever on September 17th (with advance previews in select theaters on September 16th). This will also mark IMAX’s first simultaneous release on screens in Japan, the U.S., and select IMAX markets.

Directed by Mamoru Oshii with cinematography by Hisao Shirai, the 1995 anime neo-noir cyberpunk thriller, set in 2029 Japan, follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg security guard who hunts a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. It is widely considered to be one of the best anime and science-fiction films of all time – inspiring the likes of Matrix creators the Wachowskis, James Cameron, and other groundbreaking artists.

Ghost in the Shell has been remastered in visually stunning 4K and undergone IMAX’s proprietary DMR (Digital Remastering) process for its screens.