Crunchyroll, Sony Nab Makoto Shinkai’s Untitled Next Film for Global Release
Sony-owned streaming platform Crunchyroll has secured worldwide distribution rights to the forthcoming feature film by acclaimed anime director Makoto Shinkai, partnering with Sony Pictures Entertainment for release across Western territories and India while Asian distribution remains handled separately. The project is being kept confidential, with the filmmakers withholding details regarding the film's title, narrative premise, and release timeline.
Shinkai has established himself as a major commercial force in global animation, with his three most recent films—Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume—collectively generating approximately $874 million at the worldwide box office. This distribution arrangement mirrors the approach used for Suzume, which achieved recognition at international film festivals and earned substantial ticket sales in North American markets. The deal further solidifies Crunchyroll's market position as the predominant Western distributor of Japanese anime properties.
In short
- Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures have acquired global distribution rights to anime director Makoto Shinkai's next untitled feature film across Western markets and India.
- Shinkai's previous three films grossed over $870 million worldwide, making him one of animation's most commercially successful directors.
Explained simply
Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese filmmaker known for animated features such as Your Name, Weathering with You and Suzume. Those films have reached audiences well beyond Japan and together earned about $874 million at cinemas worldwide.
Crunchyroll is a streaming service owned by Sony that focuses on anime. Sony Pictures also distributes films in cinemas, and the two companies have worked together to bring Japanese animation to audiences outside Asia, while Asian releases are often arranged separately.
Shinkai’s films have helped make anime a major part of international cinema. The distribution arrangement matters because it connects his next project with companies that have experience releasing anime to audiences around the world.