The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute standing ovation.[9][49][50]
It was released on 26 October 2012 in the United States.[51][52] Warner Bros. Pictures distributed it in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and Focus Features International handled sales for other territories.[53] According to the Wachowskis, Summit Entertainment, who previously worked with Tykwer on Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, was originally going to distribute it internationally, but ultimately rejected it.[54] It was released in cinemas in China on 31 January 2013 with 39 minutes of cuts, including removal of nudity, a sexual scene, and numerous conversations.[55]
Marketing
A six-minute trailer, accompanied by a short introduction by the three directors describing the ideas behind the creation of the film, was released on 26 July 2012.[56] A shorter official trailer was released on 7 September 2012.[57] The six-minute trailer includes three pieces of music. The opening piano music is the main theme of the soundtrack (Prelude: The Atlas March/The Cloud Atlas Sextet) by composing trio Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil, followed by an instrumental version of the song "Sonera" from Thomas J. Bergersen's album Illusions. The song in the last part is "Outro" from M83's album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.[58]
Home media
The film was released on home media (Blu-ray, DVD and UV Digital Copy) on May 14, 2013.[59]
