The End of Evangelion is finally coming as Hideaki Anno's closing chapter to the Evangelion movie saga just got picked up by Amazon Prime Video for a worldwide release. This follows the film's very successful run across movie theaters in Japan since it premiered back in early March, in a move that will ensure 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time gets all the exposure it needs.
Up until this point, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time has easily surpassed both the commercial and critical reception of its predecessors in Japan, even amidst the ongoing logistics nightmare in the country brought on by the pandemic, which forced the film to be delayed for more than half a year since 2020. Regardless of that, 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time went on to shatter box office records in Japan, only falling short of Demon Slayer's own impressive run, which eventually carried over to North America despite some hateful fans sending threats to Evangelion's creative staff at Studio Khara.
Regardless of the impressive precedent set by Demon Slayer in the United States, Studio Khara opted against giving the 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time a theatrical release most likely because the former barely had any competition when it landed on American shores a couple of months ago. Instead, Amazon has acquired the right to showcase the Evangelion movie as a Prime Video exclusive starting August 13, with the added benefit of it being bundled alongside the rest of the End of Evangelion saga on the streaming platform so everyone can catch up with the somewhat confusing turn of events seen in 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.
Though it hasn't been specified by Amazon on its Prime Video Twitter account, the version of the film that will probably be put up online will be a more recent cut of 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, which made its way to Japanese theaters in early June without any substantial changes to the movie's plot but included slightly different takes and shots for some scenes. This updated release was accompanied in Japan with a commemorative art booklet titled EVA-EXTRA-EXTRA containing never before seen artwork, which was enough to boost attendance by nearly 900% during that specific week.
Funnily enough, with Netflix having acquired the rights to the Neon Genesis Evangelion mainline anime a few years ago, the complete franchise now finds its home in most countries on two different streaming services. Although most fans tend to agree that Anno's Evangelion films fall short of the mastery of his work with the anime, The End of Evangelion did bring beautifully updated visuals and very slight redesigns for characters like Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley, which are a treat for cosplayers.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time will be available on Amazon Prime Video starting August 13, 2021.
Source: @PrimeVideo|Twitter