The first in a series of four new Evangelion features (see 'First New 'Evangelion' Movie'), Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, opened at #1 in Japan last weekend, despite opening on only 84 screens.  The film grossed $2.4 million on 236,158 admissions, with a per-screen average of around $28,000, reflecting sold-out theaters for many showings.  Nikkatsu, the distributor, relocated the film from a 224-seat theater to a larger venue in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo after realizing the size of demand, but still sold out all seven showings at the new, larger 1046 seat theater. 

The four-movie series will retell the story of the hit anime TV series (see 'Rebuilding Evangelion').  No U.S. release date has been announced for the theatrical or DVD release of the first film, but given the early indication of fan response to the film, the film release will definitely revive the property, which has already been a big hit here through its series and OVA DVD releases, more recent television airings, manga, and toys.  Any new anime material would be a big deal, but the fact that the new releases will present the Evangelion property in feature form will make them accessible to a broader range of fans than the original episodic series.