Crunchyroll & Aniplex of America Announce Theatrical Dates for New Sword Art Online Film

CRUNCHYROLL AND ANIPLEX OF AMERICA ANNOUNCE THEATRICAL RELEASE DATES FOR SWORD ART ONLINE THE MOVIE -PROGRESSIVE- SCHERZO OF DEEP NIGHT IN FEBRUARY

Theatrical Dates Set for February 1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland; for February 2 in Australia and New Zealand; and for February 3 in the United States and Canada; with additional dates for Europe and Latin America to be announced

Long Awaited Scherzo of Deep Night is the sequel to fan-favorite Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, continuing the VR death game where “Game Over” leads directly to death in the real world

Culver City, California (December 13, 2022) – Crunchyroll, one of the leading and ultimate anime destinations worldwide, along with partner Aniplex of America, is bringing Sword Art Online The Movie - Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night to theaters across Crunchyroll's English-speaking territories in February 2023. The popular sci-fi action adventure arrives in theaters in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Wednesday, February 1; in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, February 2; and in the United States and Canada on Friday, February 3. Additional theatrical release dates for Europe and Latin America to be announced soon. The film will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles as well as dubbed in English.

Scherzo of Deep Night is the anticipated sequel to Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night (2021), now available to stream on Crunchyroll.com. The film follows protagonist Asuna as she continues her journey through the virtual reality death game, where “Game Over” means death in the real world.

Official Film Synopsis:

This may be a game, but it's not something you play.

The world's first VRMMORPG (Sword Art Online) became a game of death. Over a month has passed since 10,000 users were trapped inside the game world. Asuna, who cleared the first floor of the floating iron castle of Aincrad, joined up with Kirito and continued her journey to reach the top floor. With the support of female Information Broker Argo, clearing the floors seemed to be progressing smoothly, but…

Conflict erupts between two major guilds who should be working together – the top player groups ALS (the Aincrad Liberation Squad) and DKB (the Dragon Knights Brigade). And meanwhile, behind the scenes exists a mysterious figure pulling the strings….

In a dangerous battle of death, there is an assault that differs from the threat, and it will involve Asuna and Kirito…!

Run time: 100 minutes
Official Website: https://saop-anime.com/

About Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive-:

Sword Art Online (published by Dengeki Bunko) is a light novel series by Reki Kawahara, winner of the 15th Dengeki Bunko Novel Grand prize.

The story revolves around main character Kirito and his heroics as a player in Sword Art Online, a next generation VRMMORPG (virtual reality massive multiplayer online role-playing game). The light novel series has enjoyed massive popularity since Volume One was first published in April 2009, with cumulative worldwide sales topping 30 millions copies by 2022.

An anime adaptation, Sword Art Online Season 1, aired in 2012, followed by four more seasons to date. In 2017, a theatrical film, Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, was released. Additionally, the franchise has produced a wide-ranging media mix of games, manga, and more. 

Sword Art Online: Progressive is a reboot light novel series, penned by Kawahara himself, offering a deeper look at where it all began, on Aincrad's first floor. 

2021 saw the launch of an all-new animated film adaptation based on the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novels. The first film in the series, Aria of a Starless Night, a rebooted Aincrad arc seen from Asuna's point of view, debuted at No. 1 at the weekend box office in Japan and was a long-running hit, staying in theaters nationwide for 10 weeks . And now, Aria's sequel, Scherzo of Deep Night, will be coming to global theaters in February 2023, taking audiences on a journey back to where it all began!

About Aniplex of America Inc.

Aniplex of America, Inc. (Santa Monica, California) is a subsidiary of Aniplex, Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan), a division of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), Inc., and a leading provider of anime content and music production and distribution in Japan. The company's ever-growing lineup of shows includes: Sword Art Online, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], Fate/Zero, Kill la Kill, GURREN LAGANN, Monogatari series, anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day-, Cells at Work!, The Promised Neverland, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED and many more. The company released the English version of the popular mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, in 2017, as well the critically acclaimed mobile JRPG Disney Twisted-Wonderland in 2022.

About Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan's Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group.

Films distributed and marketed by Crunchyroll – domestically and internationally – have a proven track record of both box office and critical success. Not only have Crunchyroll films seen box office success, but have also been recognized with numerous awards accolades and been accepted and screened at international film festivals around the globe.