Where did the movie play in theaters in North America? Was the theatrical release a success?
The Escaflowne movie started a limited theatrical release in the US and Canada on January 25, 2002, with a rating of PG-13. The theatrical showings were in the English language, except in Portland, Cleveland, and Boston, where the Japanese-language, English-subtitled print that was created for the anime convention circuit was shown. The movie played approximately one week at each location. In the first week and a half of its release, Bandai reported that the film grossed $80,000 despite playing on only five screens at a time. Though the movie’s release was too small to earn it blockbuster status, Bandai has stated that they are very pleased with how well the film performed, especially considering that it had heavy competition from the simultaneous release of the anime movie Metropolis.
