AKIRA is back in UK cinemas now. The 1988 anime masterpiece has been remastered in 4K and is showing on IMAX and standard screens across the UK and Ireland. It’s already earned over £1 million at the UK box office — the highest-grossing classic reissue of 2026.
UK Screening Details
| UK Release Date | 17 April 2026 (still showing) |
| Distributor | Anime Limited |
| Runtime | 124 minutes |
| Rating | 15 |
| Formats | 4K, IMAX, standard |
| Languages | Japanese with subtitles / English dub |
Find screenings at AkiraFilm.co.uk
Box Office Success
AKIRA opened at number 5 on the UK box office chart, sitting alongside Hollywood blockbusters like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Within a week, it had earned over £1 million — more than all previous UK re-releases of the film combined (£357,792 in 2020, £114,952 in 2016).
It’s now the 4th highest UK opening weekend for an anime film ever.
Why AKIRA Matters
AKIRA introduced Western audiences to anime as serious cinema. Released in Japan in 1988 and the UK in 1991, it became what the BFI calls “a vital cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre.”
Films it influenced include The Matrix, The Dark Knight, Inception, Dark City, and Minority Report. Without AKIRA, modern blockbuster cinema would look very different.
Production facts:
- Budget: $10-11 million (unprecedented for anime at the time)
- Animation cels: 160,000 hand-painted
- Shots: 2,212 individual shots
- Colours: 327 (50 created specifically for the film, including “Akira red”)
The Story
The year is 2019. Thirty years after World War III, Neo-Tokyo is a neon-lit metropolis of corruption and gang violence.
Kaneda leads a biker gang tearing through the city streets. When his friend Tetsuo crashes into a child with psychic powers, Tetsuo is taken by the military for experiments. He awakens terrifying telekinetic abilities — and a connection to the mysterious force called “Akira.”
Where to Watch in the UK
AKIRA is showing at 30+ cinemas in London and many more across the UK. Screenings continue through June 2026.
Find all screenings: CinemaGuide.co.uk/akira — compare showtimes, find cheapest tickets
Official website: AkiraFilm.co.uk
Book tickets by chain:
- Odeon — nationwide (subtitled)
- Odeon (dubbed) — nationwide (English dub)
- Vue — nationwide
- Cineworld — 4K and IMAX locations
- Picturehouse — select locations
- Showcase — nationwide
- BFI IMAX — UK’s largest screen (often sold out)
- Barbican — 4K screenings
By city:
- London: 30+ cinemas — BFI IMAX, Barbican, Prince Charles Cinema (through June 13), The Garden Cinema, Regent Street Cinema, Curzon Soho/Bloomsbury, Picturehouse Central/Hackney
- Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol — multiple venues
- Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, York — various cinemas
Both Japanese (subtitled) and English dubbed versions are available.
Warning: Contains flashing images throughout.
The Manga
The film covers roughly the first half of Katsuhiro Otomo’s six-volume manga (1982-1990, over 2,000 pages). The manga goes deeper into Neo-Tokyo’s destruction and introduces characters and storylines not in the film.
Available in English from Kodansha.
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Written by Ayaka Uchida — CEO of A-Digital Works, founder of Nihon GO! World.