INFLUENTIAL CLASSIC AKIRA, STUDIO GHIBLI’S GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GODZILLA MINUS ZERO & MORE COMING TO CINEMAS

Get ready to experience a year of unmissable new and iconic films, straight from Japan all the way to your local cinema. Based in Glasgow and recently welcomed into the family of Japanese entertainment giant TOHO Global, Anime Limited are excited to continue their commitment to celebrating original and diverse storytelling with a packed line-up including fan favourites, up-and-coming auteurs, and celebrated classics such as AKIRA, Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies, the highly anticipated blockbuster Godzilla Minus Zero and more – all releasing in cinemas throughout 2026.

Anime Limited has over a decade of experience building audiences for Japanese cinema and now-renowned directors such as Makoto Shinkai (Your Name.) and Mamoru Hosoda (Belle), connecting with fans to elevate beloved stories to new box office success (ONE PIECE FILM RED), and honouring the classics that defined the medium (Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue). Anime Limited also celebrates incredible storytelling from around the world and across mediums, with the monstrous critical and box office success of Godzilla Minus One (over £2.6m at the UK & IRE box office), and stunning 4K Steelbook releases of the beloved works of Laika Studios.

This mission continues into 2026 with a theatrical line-up including AKIRA, the groundbreaking Sci-Fi classic that first brought anime to UK audiences, Studio Ghibli’s emotionally breathtaking Grave of the Fireflies, award-winning films from rising stars such as Baku Kinoshita’s life-affirming crime drama The Last Blossom, Takashi Yamazaki’s hotly anticipated live-action sequel Godzilla Minus Zero, and more. With anime films fast emerging as a global box office force that can rival even Hollywood blockbusters, there’s no better time to explore the stories that continue to define the medium:

Original comic books created by Monkey Punch © Monkey Punch All rights reserved. © TMS All rights reserved.

LUPIN THE IIIRD: The Movie – The Immortal Bloodline

Known for his kinetic visual flair, director Takeshi Koike (Redline) brings one of Japan’s longest-running anime franchises to the big screen with an all-new, action packed caper that sees the legendary gentleman thief fighting for his life against past foes, and an immortal who threatens to destroy his legacy

©Hiroshi Sakurazaka / Shueisha, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Project

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL

From STUDIO 4°C (MIND GAME, Tekkonkinkreet) comes a brand-new anime adaptation of the landmark Sci-Fi novel of the same name by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. When Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman, is killed while investigating a mysterious alien flower and the monstrous creatures it unleashed, she… wakes up. Again, and again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man caught in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them.

©Kazuya Konomoto /The Last Blossom Production Committee

The Last Blossom

The bittersweet and life-affirming tale of a man spending his final days in prison reflecting on his life with his only cellmate, a talking flower, The Last Blossom has earned acclaim since its premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, winning both the Jury and Audience Awards at Scotland Loves Anime. From director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kazuya Konomoto, the team behind the acclaimed series ODDTAXI.

©1988 MASH・ROOM / AKIRA COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved.

AKIRA

One of the most influential anime films ever made, Katsuhiro Otomo’s dystopian cyberpunk film AKIRA introduced the western world to the cinematic spectacle and the powerful stories that anime has to offer. Even if you have yet to experience this landmark classic, you will have seen its influence on everything from Hollywood blockbusters, and pop culture as a whole.

© Mamoru Oshii/Yoshitaka Amano/Tokuma Shoten, Tokuma Japan Communications All Rights Reserved

Angel’s Egg

From renowned director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and celebrated artist Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy series), Angel’s Egg was once thought lost to time, out of reach for the many who yearned to experience the experimental Sci-Fi film that Helen McCarthy once hailed as “an early masterpiece of symbolic filmmaking”. Following its premiere at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, Angel’s Egg will finally be released in cinemas featuring a brand new 4K remaster, based on a new scan of the 35mm film negative and overseen by Oshii himself.

© 2025 “ChaO” Committee

ChaO

Winner of the Jury Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, ChaO tells a story of love across cultures with the trademark expressive art of the acclaimed STUDIO 4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, MIND GAME). In a neo-futuristic Shanghai, the hapless engineer Stephen inadvertently finds himself engaged to mermaid princess Chao. When his career, geopolitical relationships, and more importantly their happiness rely on a happy marriage, can Stephen and Chao make it work?

©Akiyuki Nosaka / Shinchosha,1988

Grave of the Fireflies

The masterpiece from the late Isao Takahata (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) that Roger Ebert called “an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation” and one of “the greatest war films ever made”. From the internationally renowned Studio Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies adapts the semi-autobiographical story of two orphans struggling to survive in the final days of World War II.

Godzilla Minus Zero

The highly anticipated new film from Takashi Yamazaki, who returns as Director, Screenwriter, and VFX supervisor on the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Godzilla Minus One, which broke multiple UK & Irish box office records at time of release (including the largest opening day for a Japanese film in over 23 years), and became the first Asian film to win Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.

LUPIN THE IIIRD: The Movie – The Immortal Bloodline, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, The Last Blossom, AKIRA, Angel’s Egg, ChaO, Grave of the Fireflies, Godzilla Minus Zero and more will be released in cinemas throughout the year. Stay tuned for updates including release dates throughout 2026.

Source: Anime Limited