Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment have acquired global distribution rights to Makoto Shinkai’s next film, the companies announced on August 11, 2026. The deal covers worldwide release outside most of Asia, with India included. The film’s title, story and release date have not been revealed — it will be Shinkai’s first feature since Suzume.
What the Crunchyroll and Sony deal covers
The agreement gives Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment theatrical distribution for Makoto Shinkai’s next movie across global territories, excluding most of Asia. India is specifically carved into the deal rather than left with the Asian rights.
It extends a relationship that already worked once. The same partnership handled Suzume, which grossed more than $300 million worldwide and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature. Per Anime News Network, the new arrangement mirrors that structure.
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Distributors | Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Territories | Global, excluding most of Asia; India included |
| Announced | August 11, 2026 |
| Title | Not announced |
| Story | Not announced |
| Release date | Not announced |
They bought a film that doesn’t exist yet on paper
Look at that table again, because the empty half of it is the story.
Crunchyroll and Sony have committed to distributing this film across most of the planet without a public title, without a logline, and without a release date. There is no trailer to evaluate, no festival reception to point at, no source manga with a built-in readership to underwrite the risk.
That is not how anime films are normally acquired. Distributors typically buy on a finished cut, a completed festival run, or at minimum an adaptation of something with a proven audience. Here the asset being licensed is, in a fairly literal sense, the director’s name.
Very few animation filmmakers have ever held that position internationally. Hayao Miyazaki has. The list after him is extremely short. Shinkai has now made three consecutive features that travelled — Your Name, Weathering With You and Suzume — and the result is a distributor willing to underwrite the fourth sight unseen.
The practical read for anyone tracking anime as a business: Shinkai has crossed from “director whose films sell well” into “director who is himself the pre-sold property.” That is a much rarer and much more valuable thing, and it is why this deal was announced before anyone knew what the movie is about.
Why India is carved out separately
The territory language is worth a second look too. The deal is global “excluding most of Asia” — but India is explicitly included.
Geographically that is odd. Commercially it is not. It means India is being treated as part of the same distribution bloc as North America and Europe rather than as part of the regional Asian rights package.
That reflects where anime’s audience growth has actually been happening. India is repeatedly cited as one of the fastest-expanding markets for the medium, and it behaves far more like a Western streaming-and-theatrical market than like Japan’s neighbouring territories, which usually have their own established licensing arrangements.
Small clause, real signal: the industry’s mental map of “Asia” and “the rest of the world” is being redrawn around where the viewers are.
What to expect next
Shinkai’s recent features have followed a fairly consistent rhythm — a Japanese theatrical release first, with international rollout following over the subsequent months. Nothing about the announced deal changes that pattern, and no dates have been committed to publicly.
If you want to catch up before it arrives, our ranking of every Makoto Shinkai movie walks through the full filmography from Voices of a Distant Star onward.
For the rest of the calendar, see our Fall 2026 anime lineup and our coverage of Made in Abyss: Awakening Mystery, the other major anime film event dated for later this year. Deadline has additional detail on the deal terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is Makoto Shinkai’s next movie called?
The title has not been announced. Crunchyroll and Sony acquired distribution rights before any title, plot details or release date were made public.
When does Makoto Shinkai’s new film release?
No release date has been announced as of August 13, 2026.
Where will the new Shinkai film be released?
Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment hold global rights excluding most of Asia, with India included in their territories.
What was Makoto Shinkai’s last film?
Suzume, released in 2022, which grossed over $300 million worldwide and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature.
