PSYCHO-PASS Providence: Where You Can Watch (& How You Can Catch It Early)
After quite the lengthy hiatus, the hit sci-fi anime "PSYCHO-PASS" is finally coming back by way of a brand-new movie. Titled "PSYCHO-PASS Providence," the film is set to reunite fans with longtime leads Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kogami as they unravel a political conspiracy that may change everything they know. It's exciting stuff, and sure to make some fans' list of the best anime movies of 2023, though perhaps the best thing about this new project for some fans is that the wait for a Western release is finally at a close.
"PSYCHO-PASS Providence" is slated to have its full international debut on July 14. The feature film is getting the red carpet treatment as well, as it will premiere exclusively across select theaters. Thankfully, those interested in watching the movie in theaters can use a special ticket portal to determine which local theaters around them are screening the movie and what the showtimes are. The movie is also getting early screenings a few days early at certain locations. Some theaters will screen the English-dubbed version on July 11 and the English-subtitled version on July 13.
While "PSYCHO-PASS Providence" is eventually expected to become available to watch at home, there has been no news on a home media release date, nor is it known whether the film will join the original "PSYCHO-PASS" series on Crunchyroll. At least for this initial release period, the only way to watch the movie is through the select theaters screening it across the country.
It has been a lengthy wait for more PSYCHO-PASS
The premiere of "PSYCHO-PASS Providence" comes after a period of several years with no tentpole "PSYCHO-PASS" project releasing. The last major animated project in the franchise debuted back in 2020, that being the previous movie in the series: "PSYCHO-PASS 3: First Inspector." The TV series proper — regarded by some as one of the best anime of all time — has been dormant since 2019 following the release of Season 3.
While fans are no doubt happy to see the franchise get a new entry, it may be wise to temper expectations about how it will move the overall narrative of anime-original series forward. Based on early plot details, it seems that "PSYCHO-PASS Providence" will actually take place between the events of the verbosely-titled 2019 movie "PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System Case 3: On the Other Side of Love and Hate" and "PSYCHO-PASS" Season 3. That means "PSYCHO-PASS: First Inspector" still marks the furthest point of progression in the franchise's narrative timeline thus far.
Nonetheless, more "PSYCHO-PASS" is more "PSYCHO-PASS," and it seems the movie will still fill in some important chronological blanks in the franchise's overarching plot. As for a new movie or season that takes place after "First Inspector," nothing has been announced on that front. However, considering that this is a franchise that has been slowly spinning its story for over a decade now, fans should likely treat such a potential project as a matter of when rather than if.