The classic "Pokémon" film is back on the big screen. "Pokémon: The First Movie" animated film will screen in the United States on Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. The screenings will include "Pikachu's Vacation" short, just like the original run 17 years ago.
Pokémon U.S. official website announced on Monday, Oct. 17 that the movie will be shown in more than 200 Cinemark theaters in the U.S. Tickets for the movie will cost $5 and presale tickets are available on Cinemark website.
"Pokémon: The First Movie" first premiered in Japan on July 18, 1998 and in the U.S. on Nov. 10, 1999. The film primarily consists of three segments: "Pikachu's Vacation," a 21-minute focusing on Pikachu's adventures on a theme park; "Origin of Mewtwo," a 10-minute prologue for the main feature, which follows the creation of Mewtwo; and "Mewtwo Strikes Back," the 75-minute main feature of the film.
"Pokémon: The First Movie" features a villain, Mewtwo, which was created by a group of scientists using the DNA of a rare Pokémon, Mew. Mewtwo does not want to be experimented with and uses his psychic powers to kill the scientists who created him. Mewtwo then learns how to control his powers with the help of Giovanni, the man who funded the experiment, only to learn that he is being experimented again. Mewtwo decides to take revenge on humans by using a deadly storm to destroy life on Earth. Mewtwo will summon Ash Ketchum and other Pokémon trainers for a battle but Mewtwo has another evil plan -- he wants to clone the other Pokémon and use them. Ash needs to stop his plans to save the world.
"Pokémon: The First Movie" was a worldwide box office success. It topped theaters on its opening week and grossed a total of US$163.6 million worldwide. The movie was also released in DVD and VHS in 2000, and was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc with "Pokémon 2000 - The Movie" and "Pokémon 3 - The Movie" in February of the same year.
