Madoka Magica’s Long-Awaited Fourth Film Will Be Released in the Biggest Format Possible

Japanese audiences can see Walpurgisnacht Rising on the biggest screen around

Fans have waited a long time for Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Walpurgisnacht: Rising. The fourth film in the subversive magical girl anime series is finally set to be released later this month in Japan, and audiences will have a chance to see it in one of the best formats around.

The official Madoka Magica X account has announced that Walpurgisnacht: Rising will receive an IMAX release alongside standard cinema formats. This will be the first film in the series to get an IMAX release, allowing fans to be even more immersed in the action. Per the announcement, the IMAX release will be simultaneous with the film's regular release on Aug. 28.

More than 60 theaters across Japan will hold IMAX screenings. Fans can find their nearest cinema on the official Madoka Magica website. If the frenzy over IMAX tickets for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is any indication, you'll want to grab your ticket as soon as possible.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica first premiered as a 12-episode anime from studio Shaft in 2011. The show, which is often considered the Neon Genesis Evangelion of magical girl anime, follows a group of schoolgirls who make contracts to gain powers and fight enemies called witches. Over the course of the series, the titular Madoka Kaname and her friends discover that the contracts they made are basically deals with the devil and that all magical girls eventually succumb to a deep despair that turns them into the very witches they have been eradicating.

Madoka Magica began releasing a series of films in 2012. The first two films, Beginnings and Eternal, served mostly as a retelling of the original anime. The third film, Rebellion, continued with a new story. Walpurgisnacht: Rising was first teased in 2015 before being officially announced in 2021. After multiple delays, it was finally given its current August release date. While it hasn't been officially stated that the fourth film is a conclusion to the series, trailers heavily hint that this will serve as a finale. Unless, of course, the movie ends with a last-minute twist that changes the status quo like in Rebellion.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Walpurgisnacht: Rising will be released on Aug. 28 in Japan. There is no information on an international release at this time.