GKIDS announced it has secured North American rights to two significant releases: the 2000 anime film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the 2025 live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's beloved romance anime 5 Centimeters per Second.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri at Madhouse, is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series. The film follows D, a vampire-hunting "Dunpeal," as he's hired to rescue a young woman abducted by the vampire Baron Meier Link. His mission becomes complicated when he must compete against a group of mercenary hunters while uncovering the truth about his target. GKIDS will screen the Japanese-language version with English subtitles in select theaters this fall, with theatrical and home entertainment releases planned for 2027. The film received its last major release in 2015 on DVD and Blu-ray through Discotek Media.

The live-action 5 Centimeters per Second, meanwhile, brings Shinkai's melancholic romance to live-action for the first time. Directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama and starring SixTONES member Hokuto Matsumura (who played Sōta in Suzume), the film follows childhood friends Takaki and Akari whose lives diverge when their families relocate. The story unfolds as Takaki travels by train toward a long-awaited reunion, reflecting on their bond and wondering if they can recapture what they once shared. The film opened in Japan in October 2025, debuting at number two with 278,000 tickets sold and 420 million yen (approximately $2.78 million USD) in its opening weekend. Kenshi Yonezu performs the theme song "1991."

GKIDS, known for distributing anime films in North America, will bring both titles to theaters in the coming months, giving North American audiences a chance to experience a classic action-horror anime and a fresh take on one of modern anime's most emotionally resonant stories.