Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair sets December release date - Runtime, format, and never-before-seen cuts, explained

Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is finally making its way to theaters. Lionsgate has officially announced that the film, a unified cut combining Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2, will be released on December 5, 2025.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair features Uma Thurman as The Bride, a fierce assassin seeking revenge after her former lover and boss, Bill (David Carradine), leaves her for dead. Sharing the screen are Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, and Michael Parks.

The director originally viewed Kill Bill as a single film, but before release, it was split into two parts due to its length. This new version aligns with Tarantino’s early vision, seamlessly linking the two halves together with an uninterrupted flow from start to finish.

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Release date of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

A still from the movie (Image via YouTube/ Lionsgate Movies)

The official release date for Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair lands on December 5, 2025, as confirmed by Lionsgate. Some theaters are screening the movie on vintage 70mm gear alongside classic 35mm reels.

Tarantino talked about the film’s script, according to Deadline:

''I wrote and directed it as one movie — and I’m so glad to give the fans the chance to see it as one movie. The best way to see Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is at a movie theater in Glorious 70mm or 35mm. Blood and guts on a big screen in all its glory!”

While the film was previously shown in limited special screenings, including at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles in 2011, this marks the first wide theatrical release of the full version. Overseas viewings are expected to occur once it opens in the US, but no confirmation has been made yet.

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Runtime and format of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair clocks in at around 247 minutes, over four hours straight. Instead of keeping them separate, this cut combines both films but ditches the dramatic pause at the end of Volume 1, along with the replay that kicks off Volume 2. Festival write-ups sometimes claim it’s a bit longer, though that seems to hinge on what version gets screened.

The movie’s shown mostly in a 2.39:1 wide frame, although a single flashback appears in 1.33:1, maintaining the visual style from its original release. Screenings will be available in 70mm, 35mm, and digital formats, providing theaters with flexibility while preserving the authentic film look that Tarantino favors.

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Never-before-seen cuts of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

This release is not simply the two volumes played back-to-back. There are fresh bits plus some longer versions of scenes people haven’t seen until now. A big highlight is that a 7½-minute cartoon clip made by the Japanese crew at Production I.G. Another big update is the ‘House of Blue Leaves’ battle, now back in full color.

Originally, the US cut for Volume 1 was made in grayscale solely to meet rating rules, but the Japanese edition remained colorful throughout. The updated version brings back what Tarantino originally wanted.

Alongside that, minor tweaks, longer lines, and smoother scene transitions are reintroduced, so everything links together more effectively. Two decades after the debut movie dropped, fans can now see the full story as it was meant to be seen.

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Catch Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair in theaters from December 5, 2025.