Want to know what anime movies are coming to theaters in 2024? We can tell you!
Anime movies have been extremely popular for years, and Western fandom for anime continues to grow. Anime influences countless creators in the US. Huge fan interest means that more and more anime movies are playing in US movie theaters — and a lot more quickly, following their Japanese premieres, than they used to. Thanks to distributors like GKids, the Studio Ghibli movies and other classics regularly come back to the big screen, too.
Studio Ghibli has been all over the 2024 calendar thanks to the return of Studio Ghibli Fest, and there are a few big titles still to come in the last quarter of the year. We've got the US debut of GHOST CAT ANZU, the new DRAGON BALL movie, and more!
Relive the magic of your favorite anime classics at Cinemark’s Anime Expo Cinema Nights! From January to December, enjoy iconic titles on the big screen every month.
Here are the anime movies coming to US theaters soon.
Anime Movies Coming to Movie Theatres in 2024
The following movies are set for U.S. release (or, in some cases, re-release) in the beginning of 2024.
AXCN: Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis
Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents: Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis, where it's man against machine in this film based on the classic manga (comic) by Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese anime and manga. In the late 1940s, long before Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion established Osamu Tezuka as one of the most influential animators of all time, the legendary illustrator created the classic manga Metropolis. Set in the future, Metropolis is a grand city-state populated by humans and robots, the cohabitants of a strictly segmented society. Detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Ken-ichi search for a rebel scientist, to arrest him and seize his latest creation, Tima, a beautiful young girl. But when they locate him, Shunsaku quickly realizes that the eccentric genius is protected by a powerful man and beyond their reach. A retro-futuristic cautionary tale, Metropolis is spectacularly rendered, combining the best in Japanese cel animation with the latest in digital technology. [November 4, 7, and 10]
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom
After twelve years of playing his favorite MMORPG game, Momonga logs in for the last time only to find himself transported into its world playing it indefinitely. Throughout his adventures, his avatar ascends to the title of Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown. Once prosperous but now on the brink of ruin, The Sacred Kingdom enjoyed years of peace after construction of an enormous wal l protecting them from neighboring invasions. But, one day this comes to an end when the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth arrives with an army of villainous demi-humans. Fearing invasion of their own lands, the neighboring territory of the Slane Theocracy is forced to beg their enemies at the Sorcerer Kingdom for help. Heeding the call, Momonga, now known as the Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown, rallies the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army to join the fight alongside the Sacred Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy in hopes to defeat the Demon Emperor. [Opens on November 8]
Dragon Ball DAIMA
The world English dub premiere of "Dragon Ball DAIMA", the newest series in the Dragon Ball universe, will debut in U.S. theaters, featuring the first three episodes of the series. Added value includes a special introduction from the Japanese voice of Goku, Masako Nozawa. [November 10, 11, and 12]
Ghost Cat Anzu 
Precocious tween Karin finds herself abandoned by her father in rural Japan. Living in a temple with her grandfather, she meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious layabout tasked with looking after her. Distrustful of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs for the townsfolk and befriends the eccentric local forest spirits. In an effort to win Karin over, Anzu accidentally makes a deal with the devil, and all Hell breaks loose. Ghost Cat Anzu is co-directed by renowned artist Yoko Kuno, who makes her feature directorial debut, and Nobuhiro Yamashita, the acclaimed director of Linda Linda Linda. Co-produced by Shin-Ei Animation and Miyu Productions with music by legendary musician Keiichi Suzuki (EarthBound), Ghost Cat Anzu is a wildly funny ride in the countryside. [November 15]
Pom Poko 30th Anniversary - Studio Ghibli Fest
The tanuki (raccoon dogs) of Tama Hills find their fun-loving community under attack when their quiet woodlands are threatened by encroaching developers looking to create still more houses and shopping malls. Desperate to survive, the tanuki band together and learn the ancient art of transformation, shape-shifting into a comical variety of humans and spirits as they undertake a last-ditch plan to scare away the humans and save their home, in this deeply affecting, funny and heartfelt look at what it means to live in the modern world. [November 24 and 26]
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - Studio Ghibli Fest
Legendary Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) revisits Japan’s most famous folktale in this gorgeous, hand-drawn masterwork, decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. [November 25 and 27]
My Neighbor Totoro - Studio Ghibli Fest
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in early roles. [December 7 - 11]
AXCN: Paprika 4K – 15th Anniversary
Anime Expo Cinema Nights presents the 15th anniversary and a 4K restoration of the last film ever made by visionary director Satoshi Kon with his mind-bending thriller PAPRIKA. When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it. [January 8, 9, and 12]
AXCN 2025: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Subbed)
Anime Expo Cinema Nights presents COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE. Caught up in a world of dreams, lost in the cruelty of reality. What should have been an easy bounty turns into biological war after a terrorist gets hold of a deadly virus. Drawn in by the pretty price on the mastermind's head, Spike and the Bebop crew are ready to collect a much-needed reward. Unfortunately, the gang's about to find themselves in more trouble than money when the terrorist threatens to unleash the virus on Halloween--effectively killing everyone on Mars. With little time and leads that seem more dreamy than helpful, they'll have to use their own bag of tricks to stop a dangerous plot. [Subtitled on February 5 and 9; Dubbed on February 6]
AXCN: Gundam Fest 2025: Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack 
Amuro Ray and Char Aznable settle their rivalry once and for all during the Second Neo Zeon War. [March 12 and 16, 2025]
We'll have more anime coming to the big screen in 2024!
All images courtesy of GKids.