Over 65,000 Watch 1st Death Note Film in U.S. Theaters

Surprisingly the American theatrical release of the live action Death Note movie has draw over 65,000. Anime News Network reports:

Viz Pictures Director of Marketing Manami Iiboshi noted that the NCM Fathom promotional agency had the Death Note film’s trailer running in theaters across the nation for a month before the screenings. The film reportedly sold about 20,000 tickets in advance and about 40,000 tickets on the screening days. Viz Pictures has begun exploring the possibility of releasing the second live-action film, Death Note: The Last Name, in theaters this fall after the first movie ships on DVD in North America on September 16.

The story from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata about a boy who befriends a death god and gains the power over death itself while trying to outsmart the worlds best detective has seen runaway success both in manga, live action movie, and anime form. As a fan of the anime I was a bit bitter when I learned that they do change the story to make it shorter for the live action version. I won’t say avoid the movies but to get the full experience you should hunt down the manga or anime.