FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 6, 2016

Aniplex of America Sets Nationwide Theatrical Release Date For Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale-

Highly Anticipated Feature Film to Hit U.S. Box Offices on March 9, 2017

SANTA MONICA, CA (December 6, 2016) – Aniplex of America Inc. announced today that the nationwide release of the highly anticipated feature film Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale-will take place on March 9, 2017. Details on theater locations and tickets for the nationwide release will be announced at a later date on the official homepage (www.sao-movie.net/us). Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale- will be distributed by ELEVEN ARTS in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles.

About Sword Art Online:

The animated TV series Sword Art Online is based on author Reki Kawahara’s light novel in which the protagonist Kirito fights to survive in the mysterious next-gen VRMMORPG called “Sword Art Online.”

Since the first volume of the novel was published in April 2009, the series has proved extremely popular, with cumulative sales exceeding 12.5 million units in Japan and 19 million worldwide, spawning two TV anime adaptations, video games, comic books, and merchandise.

Story of Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale-:

In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba, called NerveGear. It was the first full-dive system, and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.

In 2026, a new device called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn’t have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality (AR) to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.

Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…

For details on Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale-, please visit: www.sao-movie.net/us

STAFF

Original Story: Reki Kawahara (Dengeki Bunko)

Director: Tomohiko Ito

Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Shingo Adachi

Prop Design: Tomoya Nishiguchi

Art Director: Takayuki Nagashima

Art Setting: Yoshinori Shiozawa

Concept Art: Sotaro Hori

CGI Director: Ryuta Undo

Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami

Animation Production: A-1 Pictures

Produced by: SAO MOVIE Project

Character Design Concept: abec

Script: Reki Kawahara/Tomohiko Ito

Monster Design: Ryuta Yanagi

UI Design: Satoshi Watsuji

Art Supervision:Yusuke Takeda

Color Design: Satoshi Hashimoto

Director of Photography: Kentaro Waki

Editing: Shigeru Nishiyama

Music: Yuki Kajiura

CAST

Kirito: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Asuna: Haruka Tomatsu

Yui: Kanae Ito

Leafa: Ayana Taketatsu

Silica: Rina Hidaka

Lisbeth: Ayahi Takagaki

Sinon: Miyuki Sawashiro

Klein: Hiroaki Hirata

Agil: Hiroki Yasumoto

Akihiko Kayaba: Koichi Yamadera

About Aniplex of America Inc.

Aniplex of America Inc. (Santa Monica, California) is a subsidiary of Aniplex Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan), a group of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and a leading provider of anime content and music production and distribution in Japan. Aniplex of America has launched fan-favoriteBlu-ray and DVD releases including Sword Art Online, KILL la KILL, Bakemonogatari, Fate/Zero, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Blue Exorcist, NISEKOI, OREIMO 2, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Expelled From Paradise, The irregular at magic high school, ALDNOAH.ZERO, Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] and DURARARA!!×2. The company’s ever-growing line-up of shows includes our most recent titles ERASED, Sword Art Online II, The Asterisk War, OWARIMONOGATARI, Your lie in April, Charlotte, Classroom Crisis, WAGNARIA!!3 and GOD EATER.

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About ELEVEN ARTS

ELEVEN ARTS is a Los Angeles based film production/distribution company known for distributing high quality Japanese films, both live-action and animation, to North American audiences. ELEVEN ARTS’s major live-action titles include: Japan Academy Awards winner Memories of Tomorrow(starring Ken Watanabe) and Oscar nominated director Yoji Yamada’s samurai film Love and Honor. ELEVEN ARTS’ anime titles include: Yo-kai Watch, DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri, CHAPTER 1: REUNION, the Evangelion franchise, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise, Blue Exorcist: The Movie, Expelled from Paradise, The Last: Naruto the Movie, Boruto: Naruto the Movie, and The Anthem of the Heart.

For additional information, visit: www.elevenarts.nethttps://www.facebook.com/elevenarts/ https://twitter.com/ELEVEN_ARTShttps://www.instagram.com/eleven_arts/

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