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Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale Film's Canadian Screenings Begin on March 17

Aniplex of America announced on Friday that the Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale anime film will screen in Canada from March 17-19. Screenings will be available at Cineplex theaters in Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The film will screen in United States theaters for a one-night event on March 9. Prior to the wide release, Aniplex of America will host a premiere event in Hollywood, California on March 1.

The company describes the movie's story:

In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba, called NerveGear. It was the first full-dive system, and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.
In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality (AR) to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.
Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They're about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn't all fun and games...

The film will open in Japan on February 18 in 150 theaters. Kadokawa had announced in October that the film would be "simultaneously released worldwide on February 18, 2017.” The film will screen in about 1,000 theaters worldwide.

Thanks to Rukiia for the news tip.