The Ghost in the Shell franchise has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years and this February, Lionsgate and Funimation Films are partnering together to bring the 1995, groundbreaking anime film back to theaters for a two-day limited theatrical engagement.  The original Ghost In The Shell movie from acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii, will return to the big screen on February 7 - 8, 2017 in 110 theaters across the United States. Moviegoers will be able to enjoy both the original Japanese version with subtitles as well as the English dub of the film. Each will be available on separate days of the engagement, beginning first with the subtitled version.  Tickets are available beginning today and can be pre-purchased via the official movie website at funimationfilms.com.

Viewed as ahead of its time when it premiered in 1995, Ghost in The Shell quickly turned into a pop culture phenomenon and the inspiration for future mainstream movies. The movie became the first anime film to rank #1 on Billboard in video sales, which currently total more than 1.5 million copies across the franchise. With the release of Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie in 2016 and a new live action version of Ghost in the Shell set to release at the end of March, there has been a huge resurgence in fan interest for the franchise worldwide. Said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation.
 

"We're excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring the original Ghost in the Shell movie back to U.S. theaters. Ghost in the Shell is truly a seminal work in anime cinema and it helped firmly establish a market for the genre with U.S. movie audiences."

Said Kevin Carney, VP Marketing Lionsgate.

"'Ghost in the Shell' is an iconic property and it is great that fans will be able to watch it on the big screen for the first time in 20 years. Many fans will be seeing the movie in a theater for the first time and Funimation has been a terrific partner to help make this possible."

Lionsgate will be releasing a new, deluxe collector's edition of the remastered original on Blu-Ray with Digital HD.  This new edition will feature steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork and will be available in retail outlets beginning March 7, 2017.
 
In Ghost in the Shell, it is 2029. A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of "The Puppet Master," a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. 

Funimation Films, the theatrical division of Funimation Entertainment, acquires both anime and live action movies from prominent international filmmakers that appeal to the interests and passion of all types of fans and distributes them throughout North America. The division was launched in December 2014 following the box office success of "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods" that same year. Funimation Films released "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'" a year later and which became #9 highest-grossing anime movie in North America. Funimation Entertainment is a subsidiary of Group 1200 Media, a fully integrated, next-generation, independent entertainment studio based in Dallas.