Crunchyroll Lands Makoto Shinkai's Next Film—Minus Asia

Crunchyroll has secured global distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai's forthcoming film, with one major caveat: most of Asia is off the table.

The streaming platform announced the deal without disclosing the film's title or any plot details. Shinkai, the director behind the $221 million worldwide juggernaut Suzume, is keeping his cards close—which, given his track record, probably means the internet will spend the next six months theorizing anyway.

The Asia exclusion is the real head-scratcher here. Shinkai's films have historically dominated in Japan and across the region; Suzume alone raked in massive numbers there. Carving out most of Asia from a Crunchyroll deal suggests either territorial licensing complications or a deliberate strategy to preserve theatrical exclusivity in key markets. Either way, it's an odd move for a director whose audience is densest precisely where Crunchyroll won't be showing the film.

For everyone else—Europe, North America, Latin America, and select other territories—Crunchyroll will handle the release. The specifics of whether that means theatrical, streaming-only, or a hybrid window remain unannounced.

Shinkai's last film proved he's still the rare anime director who can pull nine-figure grosses. Suzume landed as a cultural event in 2022, and expectations for whatever comes next are already stratospheric. The fact that Crunchyroll is willing to bet on a title it hasn't even named yet speaks to how much weight Shinkai's name carries in the industry.

More details should surface eventually. Until then, the mystery is part of the appeal—and the frustration for anyone hoping to catch it in Asia.

Source: Anime News Network