Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair Extended Cut Hits US Theaters in December

Lionsgate is bringing Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair to US theaters for its first wide release starting December 5. Screenings will be available in both 70mm and 35mm film prints, giving audiences a rare chance to see the extended cut the way it was meant to be experienced.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is the full combined version of Quentin Tarantino’s two-part film series — the 2003 Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the 2004 Kill Bill Vol. 2 — running to a total of 247 minutes. The extended version includes seven additional minutes of animation created by Production I.G, adding new material to the already striking anime sequence from the original theatrical release.

The director’s cut premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and has had limited screenings in the years since. The December wide release marks the first time most US audiences will have the opportunity to see it projected on a full-sized screen, making it a genuine theatrical event.

For fans of Tarantino’s films or Production I.G’s animation, this is the kind of one-off release worth making plans for.

My take: Kill Bill has always felt like it was meant to be watched as a single continuous story, and seeing those extra minutes of Production I.G animation on a 70mm screen sounds like something special. This is exactly the kind of theatrical release that does not come along very often.