Crunchyroll has snapped up distribution rights of Makoto Shinkai's next feature.
Shinkai broke out with global hit, Your Name (2016).
His last film was Suzume, for whose promotions he made his first India visit.
Makoto Shinkai is moving forward with his next film. Crunchyroll announced that it has acquired the worldwide distribution rights (excluding Asia, but including India) for the legendary director's next feature film, with Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment to co-distribute. This will be Shinkai’s eighth feature projec
The distribution will exclude Asia, except for India. Plot details aren't disclosed.
Makoto Shinkai's Career Peaks
Shinkai soared to being one of Japan’s most acclaimed filmmakers with his 2007 melancholic romantic drama 5 Centimeters per Second. However, his breakthrough feature Your Name grossed $358 million worldwide in 2016, a landmark in anime’s international expansion. It made him a household name globally. Weathering With You followed in 2019 with $193 million, and 2022’s Suzume took roughly $323 million. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment previously partnered on the worldwide release of Suzume in 2023. It went on to win Best Film at the eighth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards. All three features are high among the top-grossing anime films of all time. Weathering with You was Japan’s official submission for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Since the release of Suzume, Crunchyroll has become an increasingly vital part of Sony’s global theatrical footprint, serving as a major exporter of anime from Japan to theaters around the world. Last year, Crunchyroll brought Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle to a new record as the highest grossing anime film of all time with $793 million worldwide. $543.5 million of that gross came from territories where Sony and Crunchyroll handled distribution.
