Danica Davidson
April 10, 2024 
Yesterday at CinemaCon it was disclosed that three anime movies — Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle, BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI-, and OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom — will be hitting North American theaters in 2024. All three are receiving screenings thanks to Crunchyroll.
Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle is the first to hit the big screen, and will premiere next month on May 31. After that, BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- opens in America on June 28. Both movies will be offered subbed and dubbed.
There isn’t as much information on OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom. Its premiere date has yet to be decided, and so far there’s no word if it will be offered subbed and dubbed, like the other two.
Crunchyroll’s senior VP of global commerce Mitchel Berger noted how “hot” anime is right now, remarking, “We don’t strive to be something to everyone. We want to be everything, to someone.”
Berger continued, “Anime is made for the big screen, with its sweeping stories, dynamic animation, compelling characters, but also with the unique way it brings a passionate fanbase together. Fans tell their friends … about their experience, and then tell them very often.”
Crunchyroll gave this description for Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle:
Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High’s volleyball club to be like his idol, a former Karasuno player known as the “Little Giant.” But, Hinata soon finds that he must team up with his middle school nemesis, Tobio Kageyama. Their clashing styles turn into a surprising weapon, but can they beat their rival Nekoma High in the highly anticipated “Dumpster Battle,” the long awaited ultimate showdown between two opposing underdog teams?
Crunchyroll gave this description for BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI-:
“That’s a hassle.” That was second-year high schooler Nagi Seishiro’s favorite phrase as he lived his dull life. Until Mikage Reo, a classmate who dreamed of winning the World Cup, discovered Nagi’s hidden skill, inspiring him to play soccer and share his outstanding talent. One day, he receives an invitation to the mysterious BLUE LOCK Project. What awaits him there is an encounter with the finest strikers assembled from across the country. Nagi’s dream of becoming the best, alongside Reo, will take this prodigy to a world he’s never known.
Crunchyroll gave this description for OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom:
After twelve years of playing his favorite MMORPG game, Momonga logs in for the last time only to find himself transported into its world playing it indefinitely. Throughout his adventures, his avatar ascends to the title of Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown.
Once prosperous but now on the brink of ruin, The Sacred Kingdom enjoyed years of peace after construction of an enormous wall protecting them from neighboring invasions. But, one day this comes to an end when the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth arrives with an army of villainous demi-humans.
Fearing invasion of their own lands, the neighboring territory of the Slane Theocracy is forced to beg their enemies at the Sorcerer Kingdom for help. Heeding the call, Momonga, now known as the Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown, rallies the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army to join the fight alongside the Sacred Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy in hopes to defeat the Demon Emperor.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
