Anime's theatrical footprint has never been wider, and one deal announced this week makes clear just how seriously Hollywood's biggest players are betting on that momentum.
Crunchyroll confirmed on Tuesday that it has acquired most of the worldwide distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's new feature film. The anime streamer will co-distribute the untitled project with Sony Pictures Entertainment across the world, excluding Asia, except for India. Crunchyroll said the film's title, plot details, and expected timing are all being kept under wraps for now.
The new project will be Shinkai's eighth film. Not much else is known. But in a market where anime features are shattering box office records once considered untouchable, the early lock-up of a Shinkai title signals fierce confidence from Sony's anime division.
Shinkai's Box Office Track Record
Shinkai, born Makoto Niitsu in 1973, is among the most commercially potent directors working in animation today.
He began his career as a video game animator with Nihon Falcom in 1996 and gained recognition with the original video animation She and Her Cat in 1999. His longstanding association with CoMix Wave Films began when he released the science-fiction OVA Voices of a Distant Star in 2002, followed by his debut feature, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, in 2004. Subsequent releases like the romantic drama 5 Centimeters per Second in 2007 and The Garden of Words in 2013 drew critical acclaim.
Everything changed with Your Name in 2016. That film grossed $358 million worldwide, a landmark in anime's international expansion. His follow-up, Weathering With You, was selected as Japan's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. It followed in 2019 with $193 million globally, and 2022's Suzume took roughly $323 million. Across those three features alone, Shinkai's combined worldwide gross sits at $874 million.
Suzume marked a particularly notable chapter for the Crunchyroll and Sony partnership. Crunchyroll purchased that film from Toho at Cannes in 2022. It became the first Japanese animated feature in more than two decades to compete for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and later received a Golden Globe nomination.
The film grossed more than $300 million worldwide and earned seven Annie Award nominations, including Best Feature, making it Shinkai's third consecutive movie to surpass 10 million admissions in Japan.
Why Sony and Crunchyroll Moved Early
That track record is exactly why this deal materialized before anyone outside Shinkai's inner circle even knows what the eighth film is about. The early acquisition is hardly surprising given Shinkai's status as one of animation's most reliable international box office draws.
Industry context makes the timing even sharper. Since Suzume, Crunchyroll has become an increasingly vital part of Sony's global theatrical footprint, ushering Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle to a new record as the highest-grossing anime film of all time, with $793 million worldwide and $543.5 million of that coming from territories where Crunchyroll handled distribution. In total, Crunchyroll's theatrical team has been behind 12 of the top 20 best-performing anime films in U.S. box office history.
Sony's anime pipeline is no longer a niche play. It is a core revenue engine.
What We Know (and Don't) About the New Film
Shinkai has kept details close. In a New Year's message on his official X account at the end of 2024, he reflected on his creative journey, revealing that the year had been dedicated to crafting a brand-new film.
He wrote: "2024 was a year I spent working on a new movie. It's a great joy to build a new world that no one has seen before from scratch with my colleagues. I'll do my best to announce it in some way this year."
By November 2025, he confirmed publicly that a "new film" was underway with what he called "dependable companions." Given his production cadence, with features generally arriving on a three-to-four-year cycle, a release window of late 2026 or early 2027 has been widely speculated. AWN China estimates a trailer may surface in 2026, with the actual film potentially reaching theaters in 2027 or 2028.
Rumors swirling among online fan communities have introduced additional speculation.
During a December 2023 trip to Shanghai for the Suzume exhibition, Shinkai sat publicly with MTJJ, director of The Legend of Hei, and pledged to draw from his travels in China, saying those cultural elements would find their way into the new film.
He also admitted to being a genuine fan of The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin's celebrated sci-fi novel. Those details have fueled unconfirmed speculation about a possible shift toward science fiction, though nothing official has confirmed any genre or setting.
Fan conversations across Reddit and X have also revived a recurring request: fans are voicing a collective desire for adult protagonists, noting that Shinkai's previous works have predominantly featured teenage leads navigating first love, separation, and self-discovery.
Shortly after Suzume was released, Shinkai himself said he was tired of creating "boy meets girl" films, hinting his next project might explore new territory.
Whether that remark translates into a genuine creative departure remains to be seen.
The 5 Centimeters Per Second Live-Action Remake
Separately, a live-action adaptation of Shinkai's 2007 anime 5 Centimeters Per Second is set to open in theaters in Japan on October 10, 2025. SixTONES member Hokuto Matsumura will star as protagonist Tono Takaki, with Yoshiyuki Okuyama directing and Ayako Suzuki handling the screenplay.
The live-action project exists independently of the untitled animated feature now secured by Crunchyroll.
For Crunchyroll and Sony, landing Shinkai's next project before any public reveal is a strategic play drawn from a rapidly maturing playbook. Anime theatrical distribution in the West has evolved from a specialty curiosity into a genuine blockbuster pipeline over the past four years.
Shinkai sits at the intersection of arthouse credibility and massive commercial appeal, a rare combination that makes his work nearly bulletproof as a distribution bet.
What comes next depends on Shinkai. His timeline, his vision, his call. But the infrastructure to push whatever he creates into thousands of theaters across dozens of countries is already locked in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Makoto Shinkai making a new movie?
Yes. Shinkai confirmed publicly in late 2024 that he had spent the year working on a brand-new film with his colleagues, and by November 2025 he reiterated that the project was underway. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment have already secured global distribution rights for the untitled feature, his eighth.
What is Makoto Shinkai's next movie about?
No official details about the title, plot, or setting have been revealed. Unconfirmed fan speculation points to a possible shift toward science fiction, partly fueled by Shinkai's stated admiration for Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem and remarks about moving beyond his signature romance narratives.
When is the next Makoto Shinkai movie coming out?
No release date has been confirmed. Based on Shinkai's typical three-to-four-year production cycle after Suzume in 2022, speculation ranges from late 2026 to as far out as 2027 or 2028. A trailer may surface sometime in 2026.
Who is distributing Makoto Shinkai's new film?
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will co-distribute the film across most of the world, excluding Asia apart from India. The deal mirrors their previous collaboration on Suzume, which grossed over $300 million worldwide.
What is Makoto Shinkai known for?
Shinkai is best known for directing Your Name, which earned $358 million globally and became a landmark in anime's international expansion. His subsequent features, Weathering With You and Suzume, combined for roughly $516 million more at the worldwide box office.
What are all of Makoto Shinkai's movies?
His features include The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011), The Garden of Words (2013), Your Name (2016), Weathering With You (2019), and Suzume (2022). His upcoming eighth film is currently untitled.
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