The cinematic influential sci-fi masterpiece AKIRA returned to cinemas across the UK and Ireland courtesy of Anime Limited on the 17th April 2026, and the distributor have recently confirmed that the film has achieved over £1m at the UK box office. That’s not all, as the film is still being screened in cinemas across the UK (in dubbed and subbed format) as well as in IMAX.
Standing alongside major studio blockbusters as the 5th highest grossing film at the UK & IRE box office last week, and the all-time 4th highest UK & IRE opening weekend for an anime film, AKIRA continues to prove its reputation as a timeless classic. On this monumental milestone, Anime Limited Theatrical Product Manager Anna Francis said:
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see AKIRA take over £1,000,000 at the UK & Ireland box office. In recent years we have seen a huge surge in interest for classic anime films in cinemas and AKIRA is one of the best known anime films of all time. The monumental influence of the film is clearer now than ever and the fact it still resonates with audiences today, 38 years after it was initially released in Japan, is a sign of how incredible it is as an enduring work of art. It has been fantastic to see the marketing campaign reach new audiences as well as existing fans and we are sure this is a key reason behind the box office success to date. We have many exciting plans for AKIRA coming up over the next few months and can’t wait to continue working with our wonderful cinema partners to bring AKIRA to more screens in the future.”
As a reminder a dedicated website is also available which displays cinema locations at cinema chains across the country, including ODEON, Vue and Cineworld.
About: Iconic and game-changing, AKIRA is the definitive anime masterpiece! Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. AKIRA’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for future generations of ground-breaking movies.
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AKIRA was originally released in the UK by Manga Entertainment (who later became FUNimation and then eventually Crunchyroll) and has received multiple VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Cinema releases throughout the years, but back in October 2024 Anime Limited announced they had secured the UK distribution rights to the film for both cinema and home video with plans for both a cinema and 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.
As it stands a home video release details have yet to be announced, but the film is currently being screened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland in both dubbed and subbed formats with tickets available to book online through the dedicated website.
