The wait of more than a decade is finally over. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising, the long-awaited sequel to 2013’s Rebellion, opened in Japanese cinemas today — August 28, 2026. After four delays that tested the patience of fans worldwide, Studio Shaft’s Gen Urobuchi and director Akiyuki Shinbô have delivered the continuation Singapore’s magical-girl community has been demanding since Homura rewrote the universe.
What Is Walpurgisnacht Rising?
For the uninitiated: Walpurgisnacht Rising picks up after the events of Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (2013), which ended with Homura Akemi rewriting reality and placing herself in opposition to Madoka. The new film centres on Homura confronting the consequences of that decision — and a new threat connected to Walpurgisnacht, the witch whose defeat formed the climax of the original TV series.
Studio Shaft returns in full force. Director Yukihiro Miyamoto co-helms alongside Shinbô, with Gen Urobuchi’s script and character designs by Ume Aoki and Gekidan Inu Curry’s legendary witch sequences intact. The theme song is performed by FictionJunction, the project led by Yuki Kajiura — who composed the franchise’s iconic score — making the musical continuity as tight as the narrative one. The full trailer released in June gave fans their clearest look yet at what’s coming.
Why the Delays — and Why August 28?
Walpurgisnacht Rising was first announced for Winter 2024, then slipped to Winter 2025, then February 2026, before Shaft confirmed August 28 as its final date. The studio has not given detailed public explanations for each delay, but the production’s ambition — and Shaft’s reputation for pushing its own limits — is a plausible read. August 28 carries symbolic weight for fans familiar with Goethe’s Faust, which is woven into the franchise’s mythology: Walpurgisnacht historically falls on the night of April 30, and Goethe’s birthday is August 28. For Shaft to open the film on this date feels deliberate.
IMAX screenings are available at select venues in Japan as part of a 37-country theatrical window confirmed earlier this month — as we reported then. That piece covers the full international scope of the release.
What Singapore Fans Need to Know Right Now
The theatrical run begins in Japan today, but no Singapore release date has been announced. The 37-country window does not include a confirmed Southeast Asia theatrical slot, and no streaming platform has announced a regional licence. Based on how comparable Aniplex films have been handled — Violet Evergarden: The Movie and the Demon Slayer films as reference points — a regional window or streaming premiere within six months is plausible, but nothing is confirmed yet.
In the meantime, if you are making a trip to Japan while the theatrical run is live, this is one for the cinema. Singapore fans who attended advance screenings in Tokyo have already begun posting reactions on X under #ワルプルギスの廻天 — search there for spoiler-light impressions. The official Madoka Magica USA site will carry any international release announcements as they come.
The Long Road From Rebellion to Rising
Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel. Rebellion divided fans when it released in 2013 — its ending was either a bold narrative betrayal or a masterstroke, depending on who you ask — but it unambiguously left the story unfinished. The decade-plus gap gave the fandom time to theorise, argue, and eventually just hope. Today, those theories get their answer.
Whether Walpurgisnacht Rising sticks the landing, resolves Homura’s arc in a way that satisfies the post-Rebellion discourse, and gives Madoka herself her due is something we will revisit once the Singapore community has had a chance to watch it. For now: it is out. The 13-year wait is over. Stay tuned to our anime coverage as the film’s reception develops.