Makoto Shinkai’s next anime movie has secured a major international distribution deal, with Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment acquiring rights to release the currently untitled film across most global territories.
The deal covers every market outside Asia, except India, which will be included alongside the Western territories. Crunchyroll has confirmed that the film’s title, story details and release timing remain undisclosed.
Shinkai’s Next Movie Follows Three Major Anime Hits
Although details remain limited, expectations surrounding the project are already high because of Shinkai’s recent box-office record. His 2016 romance fantasy Your Name earned approximately $358 million worldwide, followed by Weathering With You with around $193 million in 2019.
His most recent feature, Suzume, performed even better, generating roughly $323 million globally after its 2022 release. Together, the three films earned approximately $874 million worldwide, establishing Shinkai as one of the most commercially successful modern anime filmmakers.
The upcoming movie will follow a similar international distribution strategy to Suzume, which was released theatrically through Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures.
Shinkai has traditionally followed a roughly three-year gap between his major feature films, but his next project has taken longer to materialize. In January 2026, the filmmaker indicated through a New Year’s social media message that he expected to share more concrete information about the project later in the year.
For now, Crunchyroll and Sony have not announced a title, plot, release date or theatrical rollout schedule.
The partnership nevertheless reinforces Crunchyroll’s growing role in bringing Japanese anime movies to international cinemas. The company says it has distributed 12 of the 20 highest-grossing anime films in U.S. history, further positioning Shinkai’s next movie as one of its biggest upcoming theatrical releases.
