Groundbreaking Anime 'Ghost In The Shell' Returning to Theaters For Limited Engagement

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.

"We're excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to bring the original 'Ghost in the Shell' movie back to U.S. theaters," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. "'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."

"'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,' said Kevin Carney, VP Marketing Lionsgate. "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.

Synopsis 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.

For more information on "Ghost in the Shell" visit funimationfilms.com/ghostintheshell

About Funimation Films 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. For more information on Funimation Films, visit funimationfilms.com.

About Lionsgate Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a vertically integrated next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay television networks, home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games and location-based entertainment.

With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship Starz premium pay network serving nearly 25 million subscribers and the Starz ENCORE platform with over 31 million subscribers. The combined company will operate five over-the-top (OTT) streaming services and the Starz app delivering content directly to consumers.

The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbusterHunger Gamesfranchise, the Now You See Me and John Wick series,the Golden Globe-nominated La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge and Hell or High Water (in partnership with CBS Films),Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, Roadside Attractions'critically-acclaimed Manchester by the Sea,Codeblack Films'concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate's slate of premium quality series encompasses nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks. These include the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the Syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the acclaimed drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout success Greenleaf and hit Starz series including Outlander, Black Sails, Survivor's Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay television series of 2016.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of more than 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and Starz brands are synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.www.lionsgate.com

SOURCE Funimation Films