Kiki's Delivery Service 4K Remaster Trailer Previews IMAX and Dolby Cinema Screenings
The Dolby Cinema screenings mark the first time any Studio Ghibli film has been presented in that format, expanding the theatrical options for a catalog title that continues to draw audiences decades after its original release.
Reporting from 2 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Cinema Today.
Toho released a trailer on May 21 for the 4K digital remaster of Studio Ghibli's "Kiki's Delivery Service." The film will screen in IMAX for a limited run starting June 19, followed by an expanded two-week nationwide release at 115 theaters across all 47 prefectures beginning July 3. For the first time, the title will also play in Dolby Cinema at 11 theaters. The 4K remaster sharpens visual details, including the protagonist Kiki's expressions, her cat Jiji's movements, and the town scenery, while the IMAX sound system aims to create a more immersive experience for flight sequences. Attendees of IMAX screenings will receive an exclusive A3-sized poster featuring Kiki from behind, overlooking a town under a full moon, based on an image board drawn during the film's production. The film is adapted from Eiko Kadono's children's book, with Hayao Miyazaki serving as producer, writer, and director, and Joe Hisaishi composing the score.
The trailer runs 30 seconds and is set to Joe Hisaishi's score. It shows Kiki flying over the ocean and through clouds, intercut with close-ups of her face and Jiji. The 4K remaster was produced from the original camera negative, a process Toho said "brings out the texture of the hand-drawn animation" in a statement carried by Denfaminicogamer.
The Dolby Cinema screenings use Dolby Vision high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos object-based sound. Toho said the format "further enhances the sense of immersion" for the flight sequences. The 11 Dolby Cinema locations include theaters in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Yokohama, according to the theater list published alongside the announcement.
The IMAX poster is the second piece of exclusive merchandise tied to the remaster. Earlier this month Toho announced an IMAX-exclusive clear file set featuring key art from the film. The poster image board was drawn by a Studio Ghibli background artist during the film's original production, though the artist is not named in the release.
"Kiki's Delivery Service" originally opened in Japan on July 29, 1989. It earned 2.17 billion yen at the domestic box office during its initial run, making it the highest-grossing Japanese film of that year. The 4K remaster was first shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2024.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.