EXCLUSIVE: GKids and Imax are partnering to bring 4K Studio Ghibli restorations to North American theaters in 2026.
The announcement comes the recent release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, which is the second-highest grossing vault release ever for Imax. The next Studio Ghibli title to be released under the agreement will debut in Imax early next year with more details to come.
The Imax versions of the films are being created from new 4K restorations directly overseen by Studio Ghibli’s Atsushi Okui, who has been involved in nearly every major project for the studio since he started in 1993. Okui’s most recent credit with Studio Ghibli was as Director of Digital Imaging on Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning feature The Boy and the Heron, which was also the first Studio Ghibli film to screen in Imax.
“GKids is thrilled to extend our relationship with Imax for more Studio Ghibli releases,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of GKids. “As a company, GKids is a champion of the shared theatrical experience – and what better way for fans to experience the unparalleled visual beauty, immersive worlds, and deeply humanistic storytelling of Studio Ghibli than in Imax. The original picture and sound elements are being lovingly and meticulously restored in 4K by Studio Ghibli and we are beyond excited to be able to share the results with North American audiences.”
“Studio Ghibli has long been synonymous with exceptional storytelling and a devoted global fanbase, and we’re ready to build on our strong foundation with the studio as we partner with GKids to bring some of its most celebrated titles to Imax,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. “As animation continues to thrive as a box office and cultural force, Imax is poised to meet that demand at scale as the industry’s only truly global platform for cinema.”
GKids handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films across all theatrical, home video, digital, and streaming platforms. The company has released Studio Ghibli’s most recent films in theaters nationwide, including the Academy Award-winning The Boy and the Heron, the Academy Award-nominated The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, the Academy Award-nominated When Marnie Was There, From Up on Poppy Hill and more. Since 2017, GKids has produced the annual Ghibli Fest, a monthly nationwide theatrical program of Studio Ghibli film screenings in over 1000 theaters across the country. Imax and GKids have teamed since 2021 on a wide collection of titles, including The Boy and The Heron.
