The live-action film Speed Racer was released in theaters on May 9, 2008 in the United States.

Quick Scoop

Exact Release Dates

  • World premiere : May 3, 2008 at the Tribeca Film Festival (New York)
  • U.S. wide theatrical release : May 9, 2008
  • Some international releases :
    • Germany: April 28, 2008 (Berlin premiere)
    • United Kingdom: April 29, 2008 (London premiere)
    • Netherlands: May 7, 2008
    • Argentina: May 8, 2008

Which “Speed Racer” Movie?

There are actually a few different projects that people sometimes call “Speed Racer the movie”:

Title / Version| Year| Release in U.S.| Type
---|---|---|---
Speed Racer (live-action, Emile Hirsch)| 2008| May 9, 2008 (wide)| Live- action film
Faster Pussycat! Speed Racer! (1967 anime film)| 1967| September 13, 1967| Animated film (original)
Race to the Future (sometimes titled Speed Racer Movie)| 2016| January 12, 2016| Low-budget sci-fi film

Most people asking “When was Speed Racer the movie released?” are referring to the famous 2008 live-action film directed by the Wachowskis, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, and Matthew Fox.

A Bit of Context

Speed Racer (2008) was a big, stylized racing movie based on the classic 1960s Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo. It was marketed heavily with toys, video games, and promotions to match its May 2008 release window. The film premiered at Tribeca as a closing-night event before going wide, which is a common pattern for high-profile, visually flashy movies.

If you were thinking of the original animated feature instead, that one came out in Japan in 1967 and was released in the U.S. on September 13, 1967.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.