Viz Pictures has announced that the second Death Note live action movie, Death Note II: The Last Name, will be shown in nearly 400 U.S. theaters in a two night special event on October 15th and 16th, in association with NCM Fathom. The special theatrical event tops by almost 100 theaters the similar screening of the first live action Death Note film (see “Death Note Gets Theatrical”), which was shown in around 300 theaters in May.
The special showings will include a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the film, an interview with Shusuke Kaneko, the director, and a profile of the cast.
Tickets will be offered first to Shonen Jump newsletter subscribers, then sold online and by the theaters involved.
The first Death Note film is being shown at 60 Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations in Canada on September 15th. In a DVD tie-in promotion, ticket bundles with the DVD of the film (which streets September 16th) will be offered at $29.99 Canadian; DVDs will also be sold at the theaters screening the film. As it did in the States, the screening will include a 20-minute feature on how the manga translates to live action and an interview with Kaneko.
Death Note is a powerful property in North America, with both the manga and anime doing well. The manga is #3 in the ICv2 Top 50 Manga, and the anime is #4 in the ICv2 Top 25 Anime. The live action film exposure provides a third leg for this hit property.