It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise. It was first released in Japan on July 18, 1998. On July 8, 1999, a Complete Version of the film aired on Japanese television.
 
Pokémon the First Movie Trading Cards was a set of Pokémon-themed trading cards manufactured by Topps in 1999. There were 72 cards in total: 41 cards featuring scenes from Mewtwo Strikes Back, 18 cards featuring scenes from Pikachu's Vacation, 12 evolution cards, and a checklist. Each of these 72 cards also had two foil card versions (silver and rainbow). In addition, there were 30 bonus "chase cards" not included on the checklist, including 12 die-cut embossed evolution cards and 18 sticker cards.
Cards were sold in randomly distributed packets of eight or five cards. In the first printing, the cards featured a blue Topps logo, while in the second printing, the logo was black. One card in each packet would be a randomly chosen foil card. Foil cards from the second printing had a sandpaper finish[1]. Silver foil cards with a smooth finish but a black logo were also produced.
A promotional silver foil card numbered 0 also exists that was only distributed at Blockbuster Video stores in 1999 with the rental of the movie Mewtwo Strikes Back.[2][3] The card features a blue Topps logo.