VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE U.S. PREMIERE OF BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: THE DIAMONDDUST REBELLION AT VIZ CINEMA IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR TWO NIGHTS ONLY

Newly Launched VIZ Cinema To Debut Feature Film Based On Smash Hit Anime Series

As announced this past weekend at the Anime Expo® 2009, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will celebrate the theatrical engagement and U.S. premiere of BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion, for two nights only. Two showings each day, on August 18th and 19th 2009. The special screenings will be held at the brand new VIZ Cinema, located inside NEW PEOPLE – San Francisco’s newest entertainment destination.

Tickets for BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion (rated ‘T’ for teens) go on sale Friday, July 31, 2009 at www.vizcinema.com. NEW PEOPLE and the VIZ Cinema are located at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown and will open officially on August 15th.

Adapted from the wildly popular animated series and best-selling BLEACH manga series by acclaimed Japanese creator Tite Kubo (both distributed and published in North America by VIZ Media), BLEACH THE MOVIE 2 continues the action-packed adventures of Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki. In the newest feature film, after the treasured Ouin is stolen, Toshiro Hitsugaya disappears and becomes suspected of treason. When the Soul Society calls for his capture and execution, Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki vows to prove Hitsugaya's innocence. Will the secret of the Ouin and Captain Hitsugaya's motives be revealed before his honor, his life, and the Soul Society are destroyed?

VIZ Media is scheduled to release the DVD of BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion (rated ‘T’ for teens) on September 8th.

“This two day event will be very exciting as it marks the U.S. theatrical debut of BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion and also the opening week of the brand new VIZ Cinema,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Director, Home Entertainment. “BLEACH is one of the most popular and successful manga and animated properties in the world and we encourage fans to go online and get their tickets early as this event will likely sell-out!”

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property internationally. The manga series has been licensed to more than a dozen countries, and has sold over 52 million copies in Japan alone. In North America the manga has been a sales hit and the popular animated series is viewed weekly by millions in the United States and Canada. This success has further spawned an array of related video games, apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise. For more information on BLEACH and BLEACH THE MOVIE 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion, please visit the official BLEACH website at bleach.viz.com or www.viz.com.  BLEACH episodes can also be viewed on the SONY PlayStation VIZ Media channel, online at hulu.com and also on iTunes.

VIZ Cinema is a 143-seat underground cinema located inside NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco, part of the J-Pop Center Project produced by VIZ Pictures. Equipped with cutting-edge HD digital projection and a THX®-certified sound system, VIZ Cinema is the soul of the NEW PEOPLE experience. Its programming focuses on the latest and hottest films from Japan, as well as an incredible legacy of classics, favorites, documentaries and anime – making it the only venue of its kind in the United States. For more details on the cinema and its programs, visit www.vizcinema.com.

Bleach the Movie 2 promo image