Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced they will co-distribute the upcoming feature film from director Makoto Shinkai on a worldwide basis, excluding Asian territories except India. The streamer stated on Tuesday that specifics regarding the film’s title, narrative elements, and release date remain confidential at this time.
Shinkai has established himself as a major force in anime cinema through a series of commercially successful releases. His 2016 breakthrough Your Name generated $358 million globally and marked a significant milestone for anime’s international recognition. Weathering With You followed in 2019, earning $193 million worldwide, while 2022’s Suzume accumulated approximately $323 million. These three films rank among the highest-grossing anime features in history.
The distribution arrangement mirrors the approach used for Suzume, which was jointly handled by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures. That film premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival and subsequently received a Golden Globe nomination for best animated feature, in addition to grossing over $10 million domestically in U.S. theaters.
Shinkai, who is 53 years old, has maintained a pattern of releasing feature films at roughly three-year intervals. Following this schedule, his works appeared in 2016, 2019, and 2022. In a social media message in January, the director indicated he would be able to provide substantive information about his upcoming project sometime during the year.
The deal reinforces Crunchyroll’s position as the leading Western distributor of Japanese animation. The company reports that 12 of the 20 highest-grossing anime releases in U.S. theatrical history are titles it distributed, including recent major releases such as Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.
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