Fathom Entertainment and Viz Media will bring the opening three episodes of “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity” to cinemas across the U.S. for a limited theatrical engagement on June 25-29, before the final season reaches broadcast or streaming platforms.
Both subtitled and English-dubbed versions of the episodes will screen nationwide as part of the premiere run, which will also include behind-the-scenes footage and a conversation with series creator Tite Kubo alongside chief series director Tomohisa Taguchi and series director Hikaru Murata.
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“The Calamity” picks up the Thousand-Year Blood War arc at its most volatile point, as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and surviving Quincies converge on the Wahr Welt – the Royal Palace now under Wandenreich control – for a final confrontation with Yhwach.
“Anime fans are in for a thrilling experience as ‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ wraps up its groundbreaking run on the big screen,” said Ray Nutt, chief executive officer at Fathom Entertainment. “Fathom has pioneered the theatrical experience for compelling, non-traditional content with built-in fanbases, and ‘Bleach’ fans are in for a treat with the first three episodes and exclusive, behind-the-scenes content from our friends at Viz Media beginning June 25.”
The theatrical release marks the latest milestone for a franchise that has seen a significant commercial and critical resurgence since its 2022 return. Originally airing 366 episodes between 2004 and 2012 as one of Shonen Jump’s defining titles – alongside “One Piece” and “Naruto” – “Bleach” resumed with the Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation and quickly reasserted its cultural footprint, winning MyAnimeList’s best anime of 2022 and earning anime of the year at the Anime Trending Awards in 2024.
The series has drawn consistent ratings of around 9.4/10 across fan and critic platforms and received multiple nominations at the 2024-25 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including best action, best continuing series, best score for composer Shiro Sagisu, and best English VA performance for Johnny Yong Bosch. Viz Media’s social content for the franchise accumulated over 25 million views and 105 million-plus impressions in 2025, while the series has logged more than 62 million hours watched on Hulu.
Fathom Entertainment, which is owned by AMC Entertainment, Cinemark Holdings and Regal Cineworld Group, distributes event cinema content to theaters worldwide.
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