'Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry' release date news: Movie to hit U.S. theaters this summer

Natsu, a main character in "Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry""Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry" official website

"Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry" is set to be released in North American theaters this summer. Funimation announced this at the 2017 Animé Expo in Los Angeles, which is held every first weekend of July.

The movie opened in Japan on May 12 to rave reviews and reportedly made approximately 53.9 million yen (around $474,848) in its first weekend. Following the Japanese premiere, Funimation released it with English subtitles at Animé Central in Rosemont, Illinois on May 20.

Now, fans in the west will have the chance to see the animated fantasy action film for a limited theatrical release later in the summer.

"Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry," was based on the manga and animé series "Fairy Tail" by Hiro Mahima. It was directed by Tatsuma Minamikawa who also directed episodes for "Aldnoah.Zero," "Attack on Titan," and "Haganai NEXT."

Shoji Yonemura, who worked on the last two animé series, wrote the script for the movie. Yuuko Yamada was the character designer and chief animation director for the film. He had previously worked on "Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East" and "Persona 3 the Movie #3 Falling Down."

The movie "Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry" follows the adventures of the mages of Fairy Tail, a famous wizard guild whose members include Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla. When the magical artifact Dragon Cry is stolen from the traitor Zash, the Fairy Tail is called upon to hunt down the thief and recapture what was taken.

The wizards are pressed for time as the Dragon Cry is a magical object from the Kingdom of Fiore and has the power to destroy the world. In the hands of the criminal Zash, nothing is certain. The guild makes its way through kingdoms and finds unlikely allies along the way as well as dangers at every turn.

"Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry" will hit North American theaters this summer.