Hands down, one of the most frequent requests we get at the Rio Theatre is for the enduringly popular 1988 Japanese sci-fi anime AKIRA.

Based on director Katsuhiro Otomo's popular manga of the same name, the landmark film is a visual feast featuring epic, hand-drawn cityscapes as a backdrop for a sexy, violent cyberpunk adventure that takes place in the post-apocalyptic city of Neo-Tokyo (in the not-so-distant 2019). The story follows a teenaged boy who is exposed to a mysterious energy source, and develops telekinetic powers that place him at the center of a conflict that may destroy the world.

Saturday, June 30
Doors 10:30 pm | Movie 11:00 pm
Tickets $10 advance | $12 at the door

*Minors OK in balcony! Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

AKIRA (Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988 / 124 mins / PG / Japanese with English subtitles) In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after the nuking of the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural powers suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.