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Battle Royale Film to Get 1st US Theatrical Run

The non-profit organization Cinefamily is hosting the Battle Royale live-action film's first U.S. theatrical run from December 24 to January 2 at Los Angeles' Silent Movie Theatre. The 27 total screenings will take place at 2:00 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 10:15 p.m. on most days during the one-week showing. Admission will be $10 or free for Cinefamily members, and tickets are available on Cinefamily's website.

Based on Koushun Takami's 1999 novel, the story follows a class of delinquent high school students who are forced to play a game on a deserted island. There, they must hunt each other down, and the last classmate left alive wins. Viz Media published Takami's original novel in North America, and Tokyopop released Masayuki Taguchi's manga adaptation.

Battle Royale first opened in Japan in 2000 but did not have a full American theatrical release at the time, in part due to the aftermath of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. The film did get DVD releases in Great Britain, Hong Kong, and other regions at the time. Battle Royale has since screened at various film festivals in North America including this year's New York Asian Film Festival held in July.

The Japanese studio Toei converted the live-action film from 2D to a stereoscopic 3D version for a theatrical re-release in Japan last November. Anchor Bay Entertainment obtained the American distribution rights for Battle Royale 3D in 2010 for a planned release this year; however, the company has not yet released the version.

Source: Cinefamily