BATTLE ROYALE Is Finally Coming To America
It’s possible you didn’t even know that Battle Royale has never been officially available in America. There was a UK release that was wisely coded Region 0 so that it could be imported, and there’s been plenty of bootlegging over the years, but the infamous Japanese film about a class of high school students forced to kill other off while wearing explosive collars around their necks has never been actually released in the USA.
Why? Well, there’s the explanation that the film, coming on the heels of Columbine, would be too tough for American audiences to take. That maybe made sense for a couple of months. I’m not really sure why it’s never been released here, despite being not just a great film but a highly sought after one.
That’s changing, though. With the tenth anniversary of the movie’s release (and a 3D version of it coming out in Japan), Anchor Bay has snagged the rights - along with the rights to the subpar sequel, Battle Royale 2. Anchor Bay will be releasing the post-converted 3D version, but knowing them I’m sure there will be multiple Blu-Ray and DVD releases of the original. When? Sometime next year, but nothing solid has been announced.
