The best place to watch anime is in a movie theater. This is especially so for theaters in Tokyo, which are some of the best in the world. The cinemas are clean, people don’t talk and the screens are really nice — even in the small ones. One of the best feelings is to be in the theater watching the best animation while the base of LiSA ’s vocals is pumped through your heart. While it can be quite difficult to figure out how to get tickets, which theater to go to and whether the movie has English subtitles, this article is here to help. We’ll even give you some tips on how to find special screenings of older anime films around Tokyo. Tokyo as the Home of Anime Movies Say you’re in Tokyo and you want to watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle or Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc ? It’s a safe bet you can just walk into a theater, basically anywhere, and buy a ticket. Just follow the closest TOHO Cinemas sign and you’ll be golden! But that’s not enough. Just because you can watch it on any screen doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it on the best screen. Grand Cinema Sunshine in Ikebukuro. The IMAX is on the top floor with the glass windows. ( Google Maps link ) The two best premium formats in Japan at the moment are IMAX and Dolby Cinema. First, the best IMAX screen in Japan is at Grand Cinema Sunshine in Ikebukuro, which is the biggest IMAX screen in the country, spanning six stories and using a proper IMAX GT laser with two projectors for a full-frame experience. Films made for IMAX are breathtaking on this screen, and it’s by far the best theater I have ever been in. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle was utterly gorgeous on the IMAX screen with the 12-channel sound system pumping the iconic music the series is known for through my body. That being said, Infinity Castle is the first anime film I’ve seen that has properly utilised the IMAX format, though not full-frame IMAX. Being such a big screen, most anime shown on it looks blurry due to the sheer size. This is especially true for advanced screenings of anime series, which are common in Japan. That is why I recommend going to screenings at Dolby Cinema, if available. The colors pop more on the Dolby screen, and the black level is like staring into the void (in a positive way). Anime lends itself to the format due to crisp contrast ratios and the popping colors that only HDR provides. While researching for this article, I found that no anime movies were being shown on Dolby Cinema screens. I previously watched Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning earlier this year on one, and the contrast of the ships against the blackness of space was astounding. I recommend the Shinjuku Wald 9 Dolby Cinema screen for ease of access. Still, the SMT Dolby screens in the suburbs are in better condition at the time of writing, with Movix Saitama being my personal choice. Shinjuku Wald 9. ( Google Maps link ) Buying tickets to any of these theaters is as easy as going to the respective website or walking up and using the lobby terminals. That being said, none of the theaters mentioned here show anime films with English subtitles outside of special events, and the terminals in the lobbies also don’t usually have English. Western movies like Superman and F1 are shown in English with Japanese subs, but sometimes are dubbed into Japanese. Just make sure you’re buying tickets with the kanji “字幕” (subtitled) and not “吹替” (dubbed), or you may be watching Twisters and listening to voice actors try and put on a southern American accent while speaking Japanese. Theatrical Anime Events Shinjuku Piccadilly. There was actually a talk event on the day for a live-action Japanese film. ( Google Maps link ) One of the perks of being in Tokyo is going to theatrical anime events. These include advanced screenings of new anime before the season starts and cast and staff talks. While these events can happen at any theater in Tokyo (and sometimes live-streamed to others), the most common place I’ve found is at Shinjuku Piccadilly. Chu Chu YEAH!~ My fun story about Shinjuku Piccadilly is from when I first arrived in Japan. I wanted to watch Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me . I found the first screening I could, and accidentally stumbled into the final staff talk for the film. Director Tatsuya Ishihara and two cast members spoke about the film's production after the screening. I was just sitting there, dumbfounded that I randomly found a screening with a legendary anime director. Kyoto Animation regularly uses Shinjuku Piccadilly as their event theater of choice in Tokyo, which is why it was the perfect place to watch Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A lonely dragon wants to be loved . While it’s not a premium format theater like IMAX and Dolby, even the regular screens at Piccadilly are a class above any international theater I’ve been to. Piccadilly also usually leans into the anime fun with displays in the foyer and exclusive goods in the shop. The lobby of Shinjuku Wald 9 was also anime dripped out! These event screenings are usually announced on the official website for each film, along with where to watch and whether it’s being simulcast to other screens across Japan. For example, the stage event for Dragon Maid was held at Piccadilly but was also streamed to Grand Cinema Sunshine. Tickets are sold on the theater’s website. Advance screenings for anime episodes are announced through the show’s official website and are normally lottery-based, so you’ll have to know precisely when you’ll be in Tokyo to watch it. You may also need a Japanese phone number to purchase tickets through sites such as ePlus or Lawson Ticket. Watching Anime Movies in English in Tokyo One of the biggest questions I’m always asked is how to watch English-subbed screenings of anime films in Tokyo. While they do happen, it’s not very common. It's been a relatively new occurrence where any Japanese films get English-subbed screenings so close to their original release date, with Toho leading the charge and Shochiku also catching up this year. In 2025 alone, Nintama Rantaro: Invincible Master of the Dokutake Ninja and COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing has been shown at Shinjuku Piccadilly with English subtitles, while Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback was shown in four theaters across Tokyo, 109 Cinemas Premium Shinjuku and TOHO Shinjuku, Roppongi Hills, and Hibiya. All these showings started weeks or even months after the original premiere date and usually coincide with an international release. I imagine Infinity Castle will be shown in English subs in September alongside the US release. TOHO Cinemas Hibiya is somewhere in this high-rise. ( Google Maps link ) But just showing the films in English is one thing; it’s another to know about them. These announcements are usually only made through Japanese accounts, with Japanese media picking up the stories. A few websites, like Tokyo Filmgoer , chronicle English-subbed screenings in Tokyo and are a resource I use to find screenings when they’re not advertised. The other issue is that, much like buying tickets or signage at the theater, it’s all in Japanese. When I went to see Detective Conan , the signage was the Japanese title for the film with “英語字幕” (English Subtitled) in Kanji. The websites have some limited English, but again, you have to know where it’s being shown, and buying tickets is a full Japanese affair that may need a Japanese phone number depending on the chain. Even the posters outside the theater were in Japanese, for an English-subbed screening! You also won’t find English-subbed screenings on the best or biggest screens in the theater. For Detective Conan , there was only one screening at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya, and it was at 9:30 pm on the smallest screen at the venue. Though again, regular screens in Tokyo are world-class. As a tourist, it might be a daunting experience, but it is very worth it. Conversely, most film festivals in Tokyo screen films with English subtitles. The Tokyo International Film Festival in November has most of its screenings with English subtitles, including Look Back last year and Godzilla Minus One the year before, before its full premiere later that month. SKIP CITY International D-Cinema Festival in Kawaguchi, just outside of Tokyo, also has a film festival that shows all films with English subtitles, which occurs in July every year. However, it doesn’t always screen anime films every year. Watching Classic Anime Movies in Tokyo One of the best aspects of living in such a theater-rich city is that there is always something interesting to watch. Popular and critically acclaimed anime films, such as Look Back , are shown again in theaters all the time, and wide anniversary screenings are standard across major theaters. Cardcaptor Sakura ’s two films, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie and Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie 2: The Sealed Card , are currently being screened for the 25th anniversary of the second film, as is Studio Ghibli’s Ocean Waves . Tollywood in Shimokitazawa. It says "short films" in the subtitle, but all the films being shown were feature-length! ( Google Maps link ) Tokyo also has a rich (though slowly dying since the pandemic) small theater culture of tiny places with small screens, but are in it for the love of film rather than the biggest blockbuster. One of the best theaters I have found for classic anime films and modern arthouse anime films is Tollywood in Shimokitazawa . In January this year, they showed Look Back with English subtitles and are currently holding a Kazuki Nakashima showcase, screening Promare and the two Gurren Lagann compilation films daily. Next month, the showcase turns to classic Kamen Rider films penned by Nakashima. For this piece, I was lucky enough to watch the first Gurren Lagann compilation film at Tollywood. I had a blast with the theater-grade sound system and small – it’s very home theater-sized – but very crisp screen. Tickets for this theater are available online, and all you have to do is show a QR code to the front desk. Classic film festivals like this are very common throughout Tokyo. Closer to Tokyo, Ikebukuro has two smaller theaters that show anime off the beaten path. Cine Libre regularly holds screenings and special events , including showing In This Corner of the World for the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in August. Cinema Rosa is a roadshow theater that screens indie films , including anime movies, and some critically acclaimed arthouse releases that have run their course in mainstream theaters. Some upcoming releases include AS ONE and BULLET/BULLET , and the theater is one of the locations for the Tokyo Anime Award Festival in March. If you’re coming to Tokyo and want to catch the latest or even retro anime film releases, I hope this article can help you figure out the maze that is Japanese theaters. You’ll be able to catch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle , Chainsaw Man-The Movie: Reze Arc , or even Puella Magi Madoka Magica -Walpurgisnacht Rising- in early 2026. See you at the movies!
