I Can't Believe One of Anime's Greatest Series Is Finally Ready to Hit IMAX

The new anime movie Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- opened big in Japan, debuting at number one on the domestic box office charts during its opening weekend in January 2025. It also literally “opened big” by screening in large-format IMAX theaters in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Now, as Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- prepares to launch in America on February 26, 2025, there’s great news for anime fans: overseas viewers will also be able to experience it in IMAX.

Recently, it was announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Gundam will be making its IMAX debut on the biggest screen possible as part of an Early Access Event on February 28, 2025, for GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-. The full list of theaters is available on the official IMAX website.

Anime in IMAX: A Rare but Growing Trend Overseas

A Theatrical Debut for a TV Series

While IMAX screenings of new anime films are common in Japan, they tend to be few and far between overseas. To date, only 13 anime movies have received the IMAX treatment in the USA since the big-screen format’s debut in 1971. Some of the more recent ones include Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume, One Piece Film: Red, and Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. This means that Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- is joining an exclusive club of critical and commercial anime movie smashes.

However, Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- wasn’t originally made for IMAX or even movie theaters. The film, co-written by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, is actually a collection of the first few episodes of the upcoming Gundam GQuuuuuuX TV anime series, set to begin airing later this year. Fans in Japan didn’t seem to mind one bit and made it the number-one movie in the country just the same.

A High-Stakes Battle in Space

Gundam Enters a New Era

Here’s the official synopsis for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, according to IMAX and the official U.S. distributor, GKIDS:

Amate Yuzuriha is a high-school student living peacefully in a space colony floating in outer space. When she meets a war refugee named Nyaan, Amate is drawn into the illegal mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battle. Under the entry name “Machu,” she throws herself into fierce battle day after day, piloting the GQuuuuuuX. Then, an unidentified Gundam mobile suit, pursued by both the space force and the police, appears before her, along with its pilot, a boy named Shuji. Now, their world is about to enter a new era.

With its box office success and the legendary status of the franchise, it’s likely that Gundam GQuuuuuuX will find its way outside of Japan and reach international markets soon. Meanwhile, fans can get a taste of this exciting new entry in the franchise by showing up at IMAX on February 28, 2005, for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.

Gundam

The Gundam franchise is a cornerstone of mecha anime, featuring giant robots known as “mobile suits” in various wartime settings. Originating with Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979, it explores complex themes of war, politics, and humanity through the struggles of pilots who navigate these massive machines. The franchise spans multiple timelines and universes, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected stories and standalone narratives.