Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods to Hit US Theaters in August

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Monday, June 02, 2014

"Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods" will get a limited theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 5, 6, 7 and 9.

FUNimation Entertainment will release an English dubbed version of the animated movie that first launched in Japan in 2013. It already grossed over $40 million in the box office and is sure to generate even more with the North America release.

"We're very excited to be bringing Battle of Gods to movie theaters across the country this summer," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of FUNimation Entertainment. "Dragon Ball Z has always been a huge part of everything we do at FUNimation and, speaking as a fan myself, I can't wait to watch it on the big screen."

The company also promised that even more releases should be coming in the future.

"Battle of the Gods" features many of the popular characters from the acclaimed anime series such as Son Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo.

"Battle of the Gods" follows the story of Beerus, an ancient god of destruction that journeys to Earth in search of Goku, the hero that defeated the powerful Frieza. Beerus challenges Goku to a battle and in order to defeat this new foe, he must ascend to the level of Super Saiyan god.

The film's story is considered to be an official part of Dragon Ball Z canon taking place in between chapters 517 and 518 of the original manga during the 10-year time skip. The story's original creator Akira Toriyama was deeply involved with the movie. It was directed by Masahiro Hosanda and written by Yusuke Watanabe.

The original voice cast from the anime returned to play the characters in the Japanese version and the U.S. actors will most likely return for the dub based on the trailer.