GKIDS announced on Thursday that it will host the EVANGELION 30th Movie Fest, screening two landmark films from the franchise in U.S. theaters to mark the series’ 30th anniversary. Evangelion: Death (True)² & Rebirth will screen on July 21, followed by The End of Evangelion on July 22. Tickets are now on sale via the GKIDS website.
About Evangelion: Death (True)² & Rebirth
Originally released on March 15, 1997, this film was the first theatrical adaptation of the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION TV anime, directed by Hideaki Anno, which aired from 1995 to 1996. The film consists of two parts: EVANGELION: DEATH, a compilation of episodes 1–24 from the original 26-episode series, and EVANGELION: REBIRTH, covering a portion of the alternate ending for episode 25, “Air.” The version now being screened outside Japan — EVANGELION: DEATH (TRUE)² & REBIRTH — is an evolved cut of that original release.
About The End of Evangelion
Created as an alternative ending to the TV series, The End of Evangelion remakes the final two episodes of the show. In the film, SEELE launches an assault on NERV after failing to trigger a man-made Third Impact. Asuka, having rediscovered her own sense of self and her mother’s existence amid despair, mounts a fierce counterattack — only for new enemies to descend from the sky. Meanwhile, Shinji, piloting EVA-01, witnesses the horrifying destruction of Asuka’s EVA-02 as mass-production Eva units surround him and perform a solemn ritual. The film poses a haunting question: what does it truly mean to complete a human heart?
North American Licensing History
Despite being among the most influential and critically acclaimed works in anime history, the original series and films had long been out of print in North America. ADV Films last released the series as “Platinum Edition” DVDs in 2004 and 2005, before the company shut down in 2009. GKIDS acquired the rights to the television series and both films in 2020.
The Rebuild of Evangelion Tetralogy
The Evangelion franchise has spawned countless spinoffs, merchandise lines, and collaborations over the decades. Director Hideaki Anno founded Studio Khara in 2006 and began producing a new four-film series called Rebuild of Evangelion, reimagining the events of the original. The tetralogy comprises Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007), Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009), and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012).
The concluding chapter, Evangelion: 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :||), opened in Japan on March 8, 2021, debuting at number one and ultimately grossing over 10 billion yen (approximately US$74 million) domestically. A lightly revised version — carrying minor animation updates but no story changes — began its “last run” in June 2021. The film launched on Amazon Prime Video worldwide in August 2021, and GKIDS partnered with Fathom Events to screen it in U.S. theaters with English subtitles in December 2022.
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