Anime is becoming more and more popular, and its growth doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Sony Pictures, which owns the anime streaming platform Crunchyroll, has been particularly successful because of this trend. Sony recently reported significant gains, largely thanks to Crunchyroll and its new anime content. However, while anime is performing well, these gains haven’t fully offset challenges in other areas of Sony’s entertainment business.
Crunchyroll, Sony’s leading anime streaming service, experienced significant growth in 2025, increasing its subscriber base to 21 million, up from 17 million the previous year. This success was boosted by the popularity of the anime film Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which has grossed over $354 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing anime film ever. However, Sony Pictures faced challenges due to the closure of its visual effects division, Pixomondo. Overall, Sony’s revenue remained relatively stable at just under $10 billion, partly due to lower earnings from non-anime theatrical releases during the fiscal year.
Crunchyroll in The Streaming World
Crunchyroll is a leading anime streaming service, but it still faces strong competition. Recent data shows that most anime fans actually watch shows and movies on Netflix, which isn’t surprising given Netflix’s massive number of subscribers. Even though Crunchyroll has over 21 million subscribers, that’s a relatively small portion compared to Netflix’s hundreds of millions. While Netflix isn’t dedicated solely to anime, it’s become a major player in anime streaming with both classic titles and original series, like the recent releases of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run and Sakamoto Days. This makes the competition between anime streaming services fierce.
Crunchyroll has become successful at bringing anime to movie theaters, showing both classic and new films across North America. It used to be rare for anime movies to play in Western cinemas, but now many popular titles are getting at least a limited theatrical release. Crunchyroll also hosts special one-night events called “Crunchyroll Anime Nights Sneak Peek” to give fans early access to upcoming shows. Although there won’t be another Demon Slayer movie in theaters this year, Crunchyroll is still planning to continue expanding its presence in cinemas.
We’re curious to hear your thoughts on Crunchyroll’s achievements over the past year! Share your opinions in the comments below and discuss it with other fans in the ComicBook Forum.
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2026-05-09 18:41